Piquetero

As Piqueteros (singular: Piquetero ) is called in Argentina demonstrators who want to draw attention to their poor economic situation through streets and business blockages. This takes the form of so-called " Piquetes ", these are illegal roadblocks. ( Piquete actually means picketing in Spanish. )

Request when their demonstrations - some critics say blackmail - the Piqueteros by the state as a condition for the end of their actions often concessions, such as the payment of social assistance plans, but also the improvement of schools, hospitals and other centers of public life. You continue to try to take through their roadblocks direct influence on the circulation of the economy pressuring both the companies where they were employed, as well as on the state of which is to ensure greater social justice.

Organizational form

The Piqueteros were in their early days loose groupings of unemployed, today they are largely organized and depends to a large extent by political parties. They make their decisions in asambleas, meetings, in which the forms of action (for example, performing demonstrations ) will be decided by voting. The Piquetero groups are funded per person per month, paid by contributions from its members, 2-10 pesos ( 0.50 to 2.50 euros ), these mostly with the public assistance money. For these so-called social plans in the amount of 150 pesos (about 40 euros ) per family, get the Piqueteros (usually only after some time ) through their organizations or four hours daily work must be provided in return. Since 1999 it is possible that the Piquetero organizations offer self projects, where working hours are completed. These are mainly social projects such as soup kitchens, feeding children or health centers, but it is also increasingly tried to call small productive projects such as bakeries, sewing or recycling projects to life. In most cases, one of the requirements for the members of the Piquetero organizations also take part in the demonstrations. Members who do not participate, the social plan may be withdrawn. Most organizations conduct attendance lists for the hours worked and the demonstrations. From the state that the work produced for the Piquetero organizations are, however, hardly controlled. In addition, the Piquetero organizations distribute fought by the state food packets to the members, who actively participate. The only Piquetero organization that takes no government social plans and foods, is the small group radikalautonomistische MTD La Matanza from the eponymous suburb of Buenos Aires. This has made it instead to raise money from home and abroad to establish productive projects, and takes foreign " Pique tourists " in order to finance a kindergarten.

From the initial objectives of the party independence and direct democracy is today but hardly anything left: Many Piqueterogruppen are now in the hands of particular socialist and communist parties and leftist parties have established their own Piqueteroorganisationen. Examples are the Polo Obrero, which belongs to the Partido Obrero Trotskyist, or the Movimiento Territorial de la Liberacion ( MTL) of the Partido Comunista (PC). But even the established parties, especially the Peronist Party ( PJ), but also the Unión Civica Radical ( UCR) often try to recruit through payment or award of foods on their intermediaries Punteros in slums demonstrators and voters. This practice of political clientelism has a long tradition in Argentina. So it is not surprising that Piqueteros are often perceived only as a tool of the parties. But there are still independent Piqueterogruppen who do not wish to accept the help of parties and an autonomous approach represented, for example, the MTD Solano or the alliance of Frente Popular Darío Santillán.

Since the unemployment in Argentina is only valid for twelve months and only for previously covered by social security contributions, for many unemployed people from the lower class of the connection to a Piquetero organization in addition to the transition to the Peronist (regional and other ) Punteros one of the few opportunities at all to get a little support from the state. The official application without mediator of a social plan is no longer possible, the registration period for the most comprehensive plan Jefes y Jefas de Hogar ended in May 2002. Of the total still manage nearly 1.6 million Jefes Plans, the Piqueteros about 10 to 14 percent are 51 percent during this social plan receiving party members. Other people, however, try to make money, for example, as Cartonero ( garbage collector ) or in informal trading.

History

The result, the movement is 1996 in the city Cutral - Có in southern Argentina ( Neuquén Province ), where unemployed rutas internacionales ( highways ) blocked to protest against the closure and rationalization at Repsol YPF ( a large Spanish-Argentine oil company ). This movement has quickly expanded from: Back in 1997, there were over 140 " Piquetes ", and in the most turbulent 2002 over 2300 even roadblocks. As the center of Piqueteros long time were the rural regions of the province of Salta in northwestern Argentina, today Piqueteros especially in Buenos Aires are active.

The Piquetero movement was known by the great looting and riots in late 2001, shortly before the resignation of President Fernando de la Rúa. Battered by the economic crisis people, including Piqueteros moved for days through the city and the suburbs of Buenos Aires and plundered by force supermarkets and other stores, sometimes even private homes. The looting but not limited to daily necessities. Since it was just before Christmas, and all the decorated Christmas trees, TVs, stereos, expensive hard alcohol and other things were taken for example. Although this so-called saqueos were mostly committed by spontaneously together -down neighbors who Piqueteros were mainly held responsible. Nevertheless, the Piqueteros learned at the time of the uprising with the pot-banging demonstrations ( cacerolazos ) at the height of the crisis in 2001/2002 a great solidarity on the part of middle-class demonstrators gathered in the slogan " Piquete y cacerola - la lucha es una sola " ( road blockade and saucepan - the fight is the same ) manifested. With the cacerolazos but disappeared in the understanding of the protest of Piqueteros, today they learn a lot of criticism from the middle class, especially because the road blockades and demonstrations obstruct traffic.

Many Piquetero organizations call themselves MTD ( Movimiento de Trabajadores Desocupados, movement of unemployed workers). However, this shortcut does not say anything about the political positioning of the group, but is a general term. There are now a variety of different Piqueterogruppen, for example, in 2005 the Ministry of 174 different organizations registered for Social Development, with which projects are carried out. The total number of organized at the Piquterogruppen people can not be quantified precisely, the estimates are 200000-500000 people.

After the presidential election of 2003, in 2004 split the movement in two main currents on the one hand, support groups such as led by Luis D' Elía organization FTV ( Federación Tierra y Vivienda ), MTD Evita or Barrios de Pie the Néstor Kirchner's government, while on the other hand, organizations such as the by radical socialists Raúl Castells ( which was in 2004 briefly arrested in Resistencia because of the occupation of a casino ) led grouping MIJD ( Movimiento Independiente de Jubilados y Desocupados ), the Polo Obrero, the Maoist CCC ( Corriente Clasista y Combativa ) or the two wings of MTD Aníbal Verón to give autonomous combative and remain on course opposition to the government.