In a ruling that shakes the foundations of labor precarity in the aviation sector, the labor court ordered the definitive reinstatement of Rosa Oviedo, a leader of outsourced workers from the company GPS at Aerolíneas Argentinas. The measure, implemented last Wednesday at Aeroparque, ends more than two years of a struggle led by a leader who did not yield to dismissal or the onslaught of Javier Milei’s government against the flag carrier.
Oviedo, a member of the Aeronautical Women’s Commission and a leader of the El Despegue group, was fired in early 2024 along with more than 200 colleagues from Aeroparque and Ezeiza. The libertarian government, in its drive to empty and privatize Aerolíneas Argentinas, had launched an offensive against workers that included mass layoffs and threats to dismantle the state-owned company. However, the response from the aeronautical unions and the outsourced workers themselves was forceful: assemblies, closures of Avenida Costanera, and mobilizations in airport halls managed to halt, at least for now, the privatization plans.
Oviedo’s case is emblematic because, since August 2024, she had already been reinstated by a court injunction, but now GPS had to recognize her seniority and implicitly admit that the dismissal was retaliation for her union activity. «It shows that fighting is worthwhile, that even with the government against you, you can bend it,» said Oviedo, who is also part of the Pan y Rosas group alongside Myriam Bregman. The leader expressed her hope that «this will be the first of many more reinstatements.»
The ruling comes amid strong tension at GPS, where workers are demanding that the UPADEP union call for free elections in the morning and afternoon shifts at Aeroparque. The board has been denying this right for over a year and, in March, called elections only for the night shift using fraudulent maneuvers, such as not giving notice and making workers from three different services vote as if they were one. Additionally, they demand adjustments in collective bargaining to recover wages lost over the past two years.
Oviedo’s reinstatement is not only a personal victory but also sets a key legal precedent for the more than 200 workers still awaiting reinstatement. The fight against precarity and privatization of Aerolíneas Argentinas remains more relevant than ever, and this ruling shows that organization and persistence can bend even the toughest political and corporate power.
Para mí esto es un triunfazo de la clase obrera contra los patrones de mierda. Rosa Oviedo vuelve a laburar después de que esos gorilas explotadores la echaran por sindicalista. Me parece que la justicia le dio un palo a los violentos del capital. Viva la lucha, ni un paso atrás carajo.
Para mí esto es otro curro sindical que se va al agua. Reincorporar a una ñoqui que busca privilegios? La justicia socialista dando lecciones de nuevo. Yo creo que estos vivos quieren vivir del laburo ajeno. Viva la libertad carajo! #Aerolíneas #NoAlCurro