Overview
- The Catamarca‑La Rioja branch of the Unión Tranviarios Automotor announced an indefinite bus strike that was set to begin at 00:00 on Wednesday, July 29, but suspended immediate implementation pending a government‑convened meeting.
- Secretary general Juan José Vergara formally lodged the strike notice with the provincial Dirección Provincial de Inspección Laboral after saying local firms failed to apply national salary scales in force since January.
- The national Ministry of Integration, Regional Logistics and Transport called a negotiation table for Thursday and the union said it would attend while keeping the strike declared and conditional on the talks' outcome.
- The stoppage affects only Catamarca and La Rioja and not the Buenos Aires metro area, where UTA and employers reached a separate quarterly paritaria that includes stepped pay increases, higher daily viáticos and a non‑remunerative $170,000 bonus.
- Provincial labour authorities can still order conciliación obligatoria to temporarily suspend the strike while talks continue, and a prolonged dispute could leave cities without urban bus service and raise pressure on companies to honour national scales.