Oil workers agreed with YPF to secure jobs in new assignments.

The Union of Hierarchical and Professional Personnel of Oil , Private Gas, Chemicals and Renewable Energy of Cuyo and La Rioja (SPJC) signed an agreement with representatives of YPF to ensure the stability of Mendoza workers in the event of the sale and transfer of new mature areas in Mendoza , as already occurred with the Andes Plan .

The commitment aims to maintain all existing services and ensure there are no layoffs or salary interruptions. Thus, if some employees need to be on standby (not working, at home) for a period of time during the transfer of the concession to the new operators, these individuals will receive 100% of their salaries .

For some time now, the union has been warning that YPF plans to divest itself of the mature oil fields it continues to operate in the province and will only retain the unconventional oil fields in the northern reaches of the Vaca Muerta formation, located in Malargüe .

This raises concerns about what could happen to the oil workers. The Andes Plan extended the sale process longer than anticipated, and during that time, a significant number of YPF employees were at home, receiving 80% of their salaries (after several months, the salary was raised to 100%).

Following the agreement signed last week, those placed on standby will receive their full pay from the outset. The general secretary of the oil workers' union, Julián Matamala , emphasized that this was possible thanks to the joint action of his colleagues , Gabriel Barroso of the Private Oil and Gas Union, and Ricardo Letard of the Mendoza Truck Drivers' Union .

On the other hand, unions have reported that, as a result of the transfer of clusters of mature YPF areas to other companies, hundreds of jobs have been lost and that they have received no response from the government regarding this situation. The provincial government maintains that there have been no labor disputes and that the layoffs are concentrated in service providers (outsourced companies).

They also stated that the new operators must adjust their cost structure, since YPF withdrew from those areas precisely because they were not profitable. In this adjustment, they may stop requesting third-party services or reduce their workforce. The government can intervene to ensure that the new operators make the committed investments and increase hydrocarbon production.

Matamala indicated that they know YPF will advance into new stages of the Andes Plan and will only retain unconventional wells in the province. The agreement, he maintained, gives them peace of mind that there will be no layoffs when this happens and that workers will receive 100% of their salaries during the transition. He added that, although the transfer of the Mendoza Sur cluster to the joint venture formed by Quintana and TSB was announced at the end of February, the new operator has not yet received "the key."

However, he acknowledged that when new companies take over the areas, there may be layoffs and expressed confidence that the unity of the unions and the support of workers' families will be crucial to protecting jobs. He expressed particular concern about what might happen in Malargüe—where YPF wanted to include mature areas in the original Andes Plan but withdrew them—because oil activity is very important in that department.

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The oil workers' union has taken industrial action against other companies in recent weeks. It had announced a strike with Aconcagua Energía, but it never materialized, and Matamala reported that the differences had been resolved.

However, tensions remain high in the case of Petróleos Sudamericanos (the new concessionaire of the Mendoza Norte cluster of the Andes Plan). The minister explained that they have a virtual hearing next Monday (June 23) at the National Ministry of Labor. However, if they don't reach an agreement on job losses, they will once again opt for direct action.

The secretary general stated that he has been told that, by transferring YPF's mature areas to a private company, he could "gain" 130 members, who were previously members of the United Oil and Hydrocarbon Workers' Unions (Supeh, which represents workers at the state-owned oil company). However, he emphasized that he must first defend the 94 who have belonged to the SPJC for years, to prevent them and their families from losing their jobs.