The Argentine province of Tucumán has been brought to a standstill with farm laborers and stevedores striking for more pay, blocking 100 roads across the region, website Lagaceta.com.ar reported.

The Argentine Union of Rural Workers and Stevedores (UATRE) members organized 102 pickets after rejecting the Tucumán Citrus Association's (ATC) 23% wage rise offer.

UATRE regional representative Ricardo Ferreyra, said pickets were likely to occur again this week.

"ATC authorities did not attend the meeting at Government House, so we have no choice but to keep the protest going," he was quoted as saying.

The union had orginally asked for a 30% rise in the basic salary for lemon workers with the ATC offering a 20% increase, which they later improved to 23%.

The roadblocks made it difficult for lemon trucks to get around and general traffic was also affected.

Government minister Edmundo Jiménez's call last week for dialogue between the two parties failed to materialize.

Tucumán province governor José Alperovich, said road blocks were not the way to solve the labor dispute.

"We gain nothing by it; the state has nothing to do with this because it is a matter between private parties," he was quoted as saying.

Photo: La Gaceta

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