Casino workers in Buenos Aires Province launched daily protests on Wednesday outside provincial gaming facilities, escalating pressure on Governor Axel Kicillof to intervene directly in stalled wage negotiations.
The demonstrations began at Casino Central in Mar del Plata. They were announced by the Asociación Gremial de Empleados de Administración, Maestranza y Servicios (AMS), which warned the measures would intensify in the absence of official responses from the provincial government.
AMS said: “We begin daily protests at Casino Central to demand urgent responses from the Provincial Government. We demand salary recomposition, fair productivity, professional recognition, improvements in IOMA care and a debt-relief program.
“Inflation and the lack of responses no longer allow further waiting. This struggle is peaceful, firm and collective, and will deepen until our rights are recognized.”
The union, led by its General Secretary, Roberto Páez, warned that it will not negotiate amid what it described as continued indifference or tolerate further delays in wage talks. He added that workers are seeking urgent salary adjustments to offset the impact of inflation and the equalization of compensatory bonuses with those received by Caja de Empleados, which AMS considers a longstanding debt that has deepened inequalities within the provincial public sector.
AMS has formally requested the reopening of wage negotiations with the Provincial Ministry of Labor in recent weeks. Páez said the current economic situation is severely affecting workers across the province, particularly casino employees, as sustained losses in purchasing power continue to erode living conditions.
While acknowledging efforts by the provincial government to mitigate the crisis, the union stressed that concrete measures are now required to restore real wages.
Beyond wage claims, the union is also pushing for the advancement of a sector-specific Collective Bargaining Agreement, an increase in productivity bonuses from 8% to 12%, and the hierarchization of strategic operational areas within casinos.
Additional demands include adjustments to relocation allowances for workers at casinos located in tourist destinations, the modernization of facilities through the adoption of digital payment systems, and the establishment of regulatory frameworks to allow participation in online gaming operations without resulting in job losses.
The union has also called for the reopening of the Sasso Casino in Mar del Plata and the conversion of contracted workers into permanent staff positions.
The provincial government last met with union representatives in December, when it did not present a wage offer and committed to resuming talks in January. With the most recent agreement finalized in October 2024 and subsequent pay increases rapidly eroded by inflation, the prolonged delay has reignited labor tensions across multiple state-controlled sectors in Buenos Aires Province.
AMS rejected the latest wage offer as insufficient and reiterated demands for bonus equalization, worker participation in online gaming and the rollout of QR payments
