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Argentina – More strike action planned for Easter in Buenos Aires

By - 18 April 2019

Gaming unions have announced a series of measures over the upcoming Easter holiday in response to the closure of two casinos in the province of Buenos Aires.

Workers will initiate a 48 hour strike in every casino in Buenos Aires on the 18 and 19 of April and may even block the main road leading to the coastal resort of Mar del Plata in a protest that could cause misery for thousands of families as they head for the coast for the Easter break.

However, members of both The Association of Management and Maintenance Services for Casinos (AMS) and the Association of Employees of National Casinos (AECN) say that they have no choice but to act as over 100 workers are set to be transferred due to the government’s new gaming policy in the province. Last week The Provincial Institute of Lottery and Casinos (IPLyC) sent a circular to gaming unions informing them that the definitive closing date of the Mar de Ajó and Necochea casinos will be on June 1st 2019. Their employees have the option of relocating to other locations.

Head of the union Roberto Páez said that the government looks unlikely to change its stance. “We have presented alternatives so that the casinos remain open but they are obstinate in closing them. They say it is to protect the people of Buenos Aires from gambling but they have enabled online gaming, something which is totally contradictory.” He added: “The workers would be transferred to other casinos but they are people who have lived all their lives in their cities, so they would be forced to move or travel many kilometres every day. There are sixty five workers in Necochea and forty five in Mar de Ajó. ”

The guilds have already carried out a 48-hour strike and will repeat it this Thursday and Friday. They are also planning a march at the end of this month. Union heads claim that casinos are being closed while bingo halls (usually large scale slot parlours) are being allowed to proliferate.

“There are forty four bingo halls and only seven casinos in the Province. If you want to attack gambling, you should restrict bingo halls that are open twenty four hours a day,” Páez said.

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