A new blow to workers’ pockets. The transport company Express Beer, responsible for distributing Quilmes beer, abruptly closed its doors, leaving 220 truck drivers on the street without receiving their wages or Christmas bonus. The Truck Drivers Union, led by Hugo Moyano, declared a state of alert and mobilization and promises to take union and legal measures to defend jobs.
According to the union, the affected workers have an average seniority of 26 years. For decades, they performed tasks for Express Beer in providing services for the Quilmes brewery. However, the owner of the firm, Juan Aguilar, decided to proceed with the closure, leaving hundreds of families in a situation of absolute uncertainty.
The conflict escalated this Monday at the plant located in the La Matanza district. There, workers reported that between Friday and Saturday the company emptied the plant and removed all units. «They took everything, they left us with nothing,» union sources assured.
The union statement indicated that the companies On Line, Río de las Vueltas, Special Truck, Levon, and TDU, which also provide services for Quilmes, expressed their solidarity with the workers of Express Beer and support the demand for jobs, in a context marked by non-payment of wages and Christmas bonus.
Faced with this situation, the Water and Soft Drinks sector of the union initiated a strike in support of the dismissed workers. Raúl Zabala, secretary of that branch of the Truck Drivers Union, explained that the priority of the claim is the payment of wages and Christmas bonus. «There are 220 workers who are now on the street, without payment of their wages, which is the first priority because they worked all month,» he said.
The union leader also demanded that the service provider, the Quilmes brewery, find a solution to the conflict. «We will be here standing until we find a solution for the workers from Quilmes,» regarding «wages, Christmas bonus, and job continuity,» he stated.
The Truck Drivers Union also emphasized that the closure of Express Beer raises concern about the possibility of similar situations recurring in other companies in the sector. In this regard, Zabala warned that workers «are not exempt» from this form of withdrawal from distribution «happening to us with another company in the sector as well.»
Meanwhile, the 220 truck drivers and their families await a response. Uncertainty is total. Who will take responsibility? Quilmes? The owner of Express Beer? For now, only promises and an uncertain future for these workers who gave decades of their lives to the company.
para mi esto es otro curro sindical que se va a pique los vagos de camioneros llorando xq la empresa cerro la culpa la tienen los politicos corruptos q permiten esto viva la libertad carajo
para mi esto es otro curro patronal mas la concha de su madre express beer se llena los bolsillos y deja a 220 laburantes en la calle sin un peso ni aguinaldo esto es el capitalismo hermano los camioneros estan solos el sindicato tiene que parar todo ya quilmes tambien es complice fuera explotadores 🚛✊