Mirgor and SMATA agreed on a system of 200 hours for 12 months that allows for production adaptation without reducing salaries and with benefits for workers
This system does not imply a salary reduction nor does it replace overtime. On the contrary, it aims to provide predictability for both the company and the worker, allowing for the organization of production times without resorting to more drastic measures. In activities where demand, supply, and production rhythms can vary, having a flexible tool is essential.
Mirgor and SMATA signed the first hour bank agreement following the labor reform by Milei, a system that will come into effect starting in July at the plants in Garín, in Escobar, and Baradero, where ONTEC operates, with a cap of 200 hours over 12 months and the possibility of extension.
The tool will allow organizing workdays according to production needs without reducing workers' salaries. If an employee works fewer hours than planned due to a lack of activity, they will still receive their full day's pay, and those hours will be accumulated to be compensated when demand increases.
The agreement was finalized between the company, a manufacturer of electronics and auto parts, and the SMATA union. The company seeks to extend the mechanism to its various production facilities, although implementation will begin with these two plants linked to the auto parts sector.
The new scheme includes a bank of up to 200 hours over 12 months, with the possibility of extension. In practice, if a worker works fewer hours than planned due to a lack of activity, the company still pays them for the full day. Those unworked hours accumulate in a labor account and can later be recovered when production increases.
Additionally, the agreement incorporates a significant benefit and incentive for the worker: each hour returned counts as one and a half hours. For example, if an employee accumulates 10 hours in the bank and then works an additional hour to return them, their balance drops to 8.5 hours, not 9. That is, the recovery of hours is calculated favorably for the worker.
The return of those hours will take place from Monday to Friday. If the company needs to work on Saturdays or Sundays, only one hour can be deducted from the bank; the rest must be paid as overtime.
For years, labor legislation functioned as a barrier to production, particularly penalizing formal employment and companies that needed to adapt to real changes in activity. The labor reform aimed precisely to correct that problem: less rigidity, more agreements between parties, and more tools to sustain jobs.
SMATA already had similar agreements with some automotive manufacturers, such as Ford, Toyota, Mercedes Benz, and Volkswagen, but the new regulatory framework opens the door for this type of agreement to be extended more clearly to other activities.
