Strife at Vassalli farm equipment plant: proprietors and labor union engage in discussions with local mediation services
Workers at the Vassalli Harvesters Factory in Firmat, Argentina, have been protesting since mid-July due to unpaid wages. The dispute, which is ongoing as of mid-August 2025, has resulted in blockades on National Route 33, causing significant disruption in the area.
The union, UOM, has been leading the protests, criticising the company's actions and demanding the presence of the company's owner, Eduardo Marso, whom many employees do not know personally. The union leader, Diego Romero, emphasised the urgency of the situation, stating that people are hungry now and the company should use its reserves to solve the problem.
The wage debt at Vassalli Harvesters includes half of June's salary, the entire July salary, and the mid-year bonus. In an attempt to ease tension, the company offered 300,000 pesos for next week to pay the unpaid wages. However, this offer was not considered a solution by the workers. On Thursday night, Vassalli's management transferred $400,000 to each employee, but the workers view this as a temporary fix.
The factory, under the control of the Marso family for a year, has made history among Argentine producers and contractors. The current standoff, however, threatens to tarnish this reputation.
In response to the escalating situation, the Ministry of Labor of the province of Santa Fe called for a hearing, scheduled for Monday, where the union and the company's representatives will meet, mediated by authorities from the province of Santa Fe. The hearing is crucial to avoid a social crisis in Firmat, where the Vassalli factory is one of the main economic engines.
The protest continues at the factory's doors and on the route, awaiting the injection of funds to cover the wage debt and provide resources to continue operating and maintaining jobs. The union continues to criticise the company's stance of tying payments to the sale of machinery, urging for an immediate injection of funds to cover basic needs.
As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how the company and the union will resolve this ongoing dispute, and whether further negotiations, governmental interventions, or company responses will be initiated to resolve the issue.
A French businessman, Eduardo Marso, is being urged by the union, UOM, to address the ongoing dispute at the Vassalli Harvesters Factory in Firmat, Argentina, where the company's finance department is struggling to meet its financial obligations. The union is particularly critical of the company's business strategy that ties worker payments to the sale of machinery.
