Casino union declares national strike in Uruguay
he National Association of State Casino Workers (ANFUCE) has decided to declare a labour dispute and announced an indefinite strike set to begin on December 26, in all gaming halls across Uruguay.
The National Association of State Casino Workers (ANFUCE) has decided to declare a labour dispute and announced an indefinite strike set to begin on December 26, in all gaming halls across Uruguay.
According to the statement obtained by Montevideo Portal, this measure was taken “due to the simulation of collective bargaining processes and disagreements with the regulation of online gambling, concealed salary cuts, and attacks on the administrative career.”
ANFUCE declared a conflict in response to the violation of labour, salary, and functional rights of the workers. They also resolved to “reject budgetary modifications adopted without collective negotiation, in violation of current regulations.”
In the statement, the union expressed that there has been a “covert salary cut and an attack on the administrative career, which directly affect the stability and functional development of the workers.” Therefore, they demand “concrete solutions for temporary workers and real guarantees of job stability” as well as the “involvement of workers in the exploitation of online gambling and the benefits it generates, since it concerns the future of their source of employment.”
Additionally, the association expressed rejection of the current director of Casinos, Fernando Estévez, “due to the lack of dialogue, unilateral decision-making, the simulation of collective bargaining processes, and disrespect towards workers and their representatives, understanding that his actions deepen the conflict and deteriorate labour relations in the agency.”
At the beginning of December, ANFUCE issued a statement denouncing “serious irregularities” in the current administration.
ANFUCE also blamed the imminent regulation of online gambling for the growing conflict.
“It is already known that the regulation of online gambling has been under discussion for some time. But what few know is that the authorities of casinos, along with those from private banking, are secretly preparing what will be the new project, a situation that puts us on alert,” the letter adds.
“Online gambling must be approached comprehensively, establishing clear objectives and a uniform form of exploitation, and the state cannot be absent from the discussion, much less exclude from it the workers who have worked with these types of games for years and have acquired specialization, both in the modalities of casino games and in strategies for controlling gambling addiction and preventing money laundering, which are currently priorities for our agency,” the union said.
The current director of the General Directorate of Casinos, by not allowing the participation of employees in the new online gambling project, “denies the possibility of labour reconversion. But even more seriously, he jeopardizes the very source of employment,” ANFUCE said.
