[November 11, 2008] Court ruling changes landscape for Argentina's unions Tweet (EFE Ingles Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Buenos Aires, Nov 11 (EFE).- The Supreme Court dealt a major blow Tuesday to the power of Argentina's biggest labor federation by ruling that workers seeking to organize do not have to affiliate with one of the unions already recognized by the government. The decision will allow workers to create new unions without previous authorization from the Labor Ministry. Seven of the nine justices deemed unconstitutional a law requiring a delegate negotiating on behalf of workers to be affiliated with a recognized union and to be chosen in an election organized by that union. The court ruled on a prolonged legal dispute between the ATE public employees union, which lacks Labor Ministry certification, and the Pecifa union representing civilian employees of the Argentine armed forces. After losing in the lower courts, the ATE appealed to the Supreme Court, whose members rejected the existing union law as inconsistent with the conventions of the International Labor Organization. "It's an historic ruling," ATE General Secretary Pablo Micheli said. "This changes the union map. It's a ruling that favors democracy." The ATE is part of the CTA, an organization that represents the majority of Argentina's public employees but is not recognized by the Labor Ministry. CTA leader Hugo Yasky has accused the ministry of delaying the registration of his organization in response to "strong pressure from business-owners and from the General Confederation of Labor," or CGT, the country's most powerful union. A member of the CGT leadership, Julio Piumato, said that Tuesday's court ruling "is a true blunder, with political motivation, because it tends to fragment the labor movement." The CGT has traditionally formed the backbone of Argentina's ruling Peronist Party. EFE cw/dr Copyright ? 2008 EFE News Services (U.S.) Inc. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]