Labor relations in Argentina

Collective bargaining and social dialogue in times of pandemic

Abstract

In Argentina, the pandemic coincided with a government that took office in 2019 in a context of economic crisis. In this scenario, it induced tripartite social dialogue with workers and employers, which implied unprecedented challenges for labor relations. The purpose of this article is to explore the dynamics of collective bargaining and to ponder the similarities and differences between workers declared "essential", such as those in the health sector, and "non-essential", such as those in the gastronomic sector. Two tendencies are observed: on the one hand, business, union and State actors, through collective bargaining, responded to the new demands. On the other, the pandemic generated a revitalization of the negotiation, incorporating other contents in accordance with the health crisis.