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Wage negotiations in Argentina
阿根廷的工资谈判
Class war
一场关于开学的战争
Teachers'unions go out on strike
教师公会举行罢工
“IT CAN'T be that every annual salary negotiation makes it a strain just to begin the school year,” said President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner during a speech to Congress on March 1st. Yes it can.
“决不能让每年的薪水谈判成为开学的绊脚石”总统克里斯蒂娜·费尔南德斯·基什内尔，在三月一日国会的演讲中这样说到。但事实就是如此。
Strikes this week delayed the start of classes in 19 of Argentina's 24 districts, after provincial unions and governments failed to reach agreements about wage rises. Negotiations between the national government and federal unions, which are meant to set a minimum benchmark for the provinces, also foundered. With some unions demanding more than 40% hikes, the national government and Buenos Aires's provincial government, the most influential negotiators, offered increases of just 22% and 25.5% this year respectively. The unions called the proposals “a provocation”.
由于省工会和政府就涨工资的问题未能达成一致，本周的罢工已使阿根廷24个行政区中，19个行政区推迟了开学时间。中央政府和联邦公会间的谈判，本打算给各省设置最低工资标准，最后也以失败告终。一些公会要求的上涨幅度超过40%，而中央政府和布宜诺斯艾利斯省政府作为最有影响力的谈判者，分别在今年只提供22%和25%的上涨幅度。公会则称这些提议为“挑衅”。
Tension had been expected.The teachers'unions want salary rises above Argentina's galloping inflation rate. Since the start of the year the government has devalued the Argentine peso by over 20%, causing inflation expectations to spike. According to Eduardo Levy Yeyati of Elypsis, a consultancy, prices are expected to jump by 32% this year. And now that the government has started publishing more realistic data, it cannot simply pretend the problem of rising prices does not exist.
分歧在人意料之中。教师工会希望工资涨幅超过阿根廷奔腾的通货膨胀率。从今年年初开始，政府已经将阿根廷比索贬值超过20%，导致通胀预期异常强烈。据一家名为Elypsis的咨询公司的员工Eduardo Levy Yeyati说，今年物价预期将增长32%。政府已不能简单的把物价上涨的问题当做不存在，目前正着手出版更真实的数据。
The teachers'unions have a strong hand. In December provincial police squeezed 35-100% pay increases out of their employers. Public-sector employees are not fearful of losing their jobs. Strikes give unions the power to cause widespread chaos.
教师工会得到强大的帮助。十二月份，省部门的警察已经从政府那里争取来35%到100%不等的工资涨幅。公共部门的员工并不害怕丢掉工作。罢工引起的广泛骚动，给予了公会强大的力量。
But the government cannot afford to concede too much ground. The negotiations with the teachers will set a precedent for salary talks with other unions scheduled for later this month and April. To ensure that inflation does not continue to accelerate, the authorities need to curb real wages. Budgetary considerations also play their part. According to Economía & Regiones, a research group, if the provinces were to grant 30% raises to their 2m employees, that would double their collective fiscal deficit.
但是政府也不能做太多的让步。本月晚些时候和四月份亦有跟其他公会就薪水问题进行谈判的计划，与教师的谈判会为他们创造先例。为了确保通货膨胀不会继续发展，当局需要抑制实际工资水平。预算方面的考虑也发挥着其自身的作用。据一个名为“经济与区域”的研究小组的研究结果显示，如果省里将其200万员工的工资提高30%，其集体财政赤字将翻倍。
That may nonetheless be what happens. In the five jurisdictions that were able to reach accords, the teachers and the provinces agreed to increases of around 30%. That wouldn't do much to bring down inflation, but it would at least help keep it from skyrocketing. And it would mean the school year can begin.
尽管如此，该发生的还是会发生。在达成一致的五个司法管辖区，教师与省政府同意将工资提高约30%。这虽然对降低通货膨胀没什么作用，但至少能帮助通货膨胀不再继续暴涨。当然，这也意味着新学年可以开始了。译者：萧毛毛
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