Argentina’s biggest oil union called off the strike they had launched yesterday demanding better safety conditions for workers. The decision came after an agreement was reached with oil companies, the trade union informed. 

The strike was declared by the Private Oil and Gas Union of Río Negro, Neuquén, and La Pampa provinces, which represents some 24,000 workers after a worker suffered the loss of an arm in a work-related accident a few days ago. It was the latest in a spate of recent injuries and deaths affecting oil and gas workers. 

“Once again, the workers’ fight and unity managed to get decision-makers to hear our demands,” said the union’s secretary general Marcelo Rucci after the meeting with the companies. 

“We’ve already paid a high price for lost time regarding work safety. Now, we have made some progress and our fellow workers will be safer in their workplaces.”   

Next week, the companies will present union leaders with guidelines for implementing a system of emergency airlift evacuation for the Neuquén basin, the area of the giant Vaca Muerta formation, the second-largest reserve in the world for unconventional gas and the fourth-largest one for oil. 

Business chambers have also agreed to advance on security measures demanded by the workers to prevent new accidents, the union reported. 

—with information from Reuters