The Court reopens the case against Camioneros for blocking Quimica Oeste

The Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation decided to move forward with the oral and public trial against leaders of the Sindicato de Camioneros for the blockade of the company Química Oeste, which took place in May 2021. The ruling of the highest court overturned previous decisions by the Buenos Aires justice system that had dismissed the charges against the accused and upheld the claim of the affected businessman, Carlos Dos Reis. Judges Horacio Rosatti, Carlos Rosenkrantz, and Ricardo Lorenzetti held that the case should continue its judicial process to determine responsibilities. The conflict dates back to May 10, 2021, when a group of people identified with the union appeared at the warehouse of the company located in Monte Grande. According to the owner's complaint, they placed a flag with the inscription"Sindicato de Camioneros Delegación Monte Grande" and prevented the entry and exit of vehicles, stating : "no one leaves here, no one moves here, today you won't work".

the protest intensified and extended until May 18the blockade caused losses of "several million pesos per day" to Química Oeste and an average of 2 million dollars per day to the oil sectorThe criminal complaint was filedagainst Néstor Fabián Arévalogeneral secretary of the Monte Grande Delegationand other membersOn October 18, 2022, the Court of Guarantees No. 2 of Lomas de Zamora had rejected the request for dismissal and ordered the case to be sent to trialthe defense appealed and succeeded in having Chamber I of the Criminal Appeals and Guarantees Court overturn the decision The complaint appealed again, but both the Criminal Cassation Court and the Buenos Aires Supreme Court dismissed the claimFaced with this situation, the case was brought by extraordinary appeal to the Supreme Court of the NationThe complaining businessmanthat there had been "an arbitrary interpretation" of the right to strikeviolation of constitutional rights such as work, lawful activity, and private propertythe highest court upheld the appealprecedent "Uzcátegui Matheus"2016 rulingAntonini Wilsonthe Court held that it was appropriate to continue with the judicial processthe Supreme Court reinforces the line of case law that limits the use of blockades as a mechanism of union pressure and places the protection of essential rights of workers, companies, and third parties at the forefront