Wholesalers reject the collective bargaining agreement and demand the elimination of contributions that benefit unions and chambers.
Although a new salary agreement for retail employees was signed, the wholesale sector warned that it is not willing to endorse what it considers a scheme fraught with "hidden costs." The Argentine Chamber of Distributors and Wholesale Self-Service Retailers ( CADAM ) demanded that the Ministry of Labor not endorse the collective bargaining agreement while compulsory contributions remain in place, which raise labor costs and, they claim, benefit only the union and business structures that sign the agreements.
The trade union agreement is one of the most significant in the country in terms of the number of workers reached: more than 1.2 million. However, CADAM warns that the wage increase is only part of the problem. " We want to discuss real wages, not continue financing business-sector, union, and insurance structures chosen by them ," the organization stated.
The agreement reached by the Argentine Federation of Commerce and Service Employees ( FAECyS ) and the business chambers contemplates a 6% increase over the scales in effect as of June. The increase, which is non-cumulative, will be distributed in 1% monthly increments between July and December.
In addition, a non-remunerative payment of $40,000 per month was established from July to December. The December amount will be incorporated into the base salary in January 2026, while previous amounts will not have retroactive effect. For those who work part-time, the amounts will be proportional.
Wholesalers claim that contributions and fees artificially raise wages without compensating workers. The main items questioned are:
- COVID-19 Solidarity Contribution to OSECAC : effective since 2021, $5,500 per employee continues to be charged, even if they are not affiliated with the social security system.
- Mandatory INACAP contribution : $4,725 per worker. Although a national decree made this payment voluntary, the institute continues to demand it, supported by a local court ruling.
- Mandatory supplementary retirement insurance : represents 2.5% of salary, with no option for the worker to choose other coverage. Half goes into an individual account and the other half into a solidarity fund.
- Union contribution : This involves a 0.5% deduction from the employee's salary, even if the employee is not a union member. In some areas, additional contributions are added.
CADAM proposes that these funds be directly transferred to each worker's salary, allowing them to freely decide whether to use them for training, retirement, or any other purpose.
The situation with the Argentine Institute for Vocational Training (INACAP) is particularly controversial. Despite Decree 149/2025 establishing that the contribution is voluntary, the institution continues to issue notifications under the heading "DUE DEBT - PENDING REGULARIZATION," relying on a precautionary measure that only applies to Avellaneda and Lanús.
" The information published on your website could deliberately create confusion ," CADAM denounced in a formal letter sent to INACAP authorities. According to the entity, the institute fails to explain that the court ruling is not national in scope and that the decree remains in effect for the rest of the country.
INACAP, for its part, published a statement citing a court ruling that, it claims, upholds the obligation to contribute, even for members and non-members. CADAM denounces this as a legal distortion and demands clear definitions from the Ministry of Labor.
The wholesale business owners' underlying proposal aims to review the collective bargaining system as a whole. They assert that the current collective bargaining system favors the signatories—unions and business associations—to the detriment of actual workers and productive sectors that do not participate in the process.
" The State cannot be indifferent to practices that distort salary negotiations and increase Argentine costs without transparency ," they stated. They emphasized that, instead of supporting arbitrary contributions, the Government should ensure that 100% of the agreed salary actually reaches the workers' pockets.
The trade agreement thus became a battleground exposing a structural dispute over the Argentine labor model. Therefore, CADAM insists that the agreement should not be approved until these contributions, which—they claim—no one elected and everyone pays, are eliminated.
elintransigente
