Manuel Alexander Crespo became a relevant character in this second semester. He is the owner of Single Union of Argentine Tire Workers (SUTNA) which, until now, had a very low media coverage, but with the conflict that affected the Fate, Pirelli and Bridgestone had its week of fame, in the midst of an Argentina that is beginning to take temperature due to the activation of the trigger clauses of the 2021-2022 joint ventures.
The “Mr Tire” He prefers to use his middle name and has known the world of tires since he was very young, because his father worked for 40 years in the same company that employs him today. He started working at the Fate factory in 2004when he was 29 years old, and immediately became interested in union activity.
Before dedicating himself to the same trade as his father, he had tried to earn a living as a kiosk and taxi driver, but, closer to 30 years old and with his father retiring from the company, he decided to take that opportunity that was presented to him and in a short time he became known within the company.
Between 2007 and 2008, it emerged as a benchmark for the San Fernando tire plant, when together with leaders of the New Movement for Socialism (MAS) won the sectional election to the representative of the then general secretary of the guild, Pedro Wasiejko. That day he began to outline his future, always linked to the left, but without party participation. He is related to the Partido Obrero, but according to the National Registry of Affiliates to Political Parties he does not belong, on paper, to any space, although he has participated in marches of the Front of the Left and of the Workers together with Néstor Pitrola, Romina del Plá and Eduardo Beliboni.
In 2016, he became the general secretary of SUTNA, after crossing Pedro Wasiejko’s path again and winning the elections. Wasiejko is a leader close to Hugo Yaski, who today is an official and is in charge of the Río Santiago Shipyard.
Last year, Crespo renewed his mandate, but along the way he broke an alliance with old fellow fighters from the San Fernando plant, the same ones with whom he had won in 2016 and who now presented him with a list against him. Wasiejko’s men also competed. “Mr. Tire” won with 73% of the votes nationwide.
Internal. The day Crespo announced that he had reached an agreement with the tire companies, he did so sitting in front of a camera with some of his closest collaborators behind him, all in black and some with their arms crossed, while he, with the voice of an announcer, he celebrated what he called a “conquest”. Among those achievements was an extra payment of 100,000 pesos for one time only for this month. An update of 16% of the parity, closing the year at 66% and agreeing on 73% for the 2023 parity, with its respective revision clause in case inflation soars. This agreement, which was entered into with a blacklist mega-assembly at the SUTNA campsite in Pilar, earned him criticism from the purple list, his internal opponents in the last election, who stated that “the fixed sum of 100,000 pesos for one time unfortunately will not cover what the workers invested on strike days for five months,” and that “the 73% increase in comfortable installments is in line with the lowest parities of the moment, whose last installment will be settled in July 2023”. Y they accused Crespo of speculating so that “inflation gets out of control above these values and thus achieve a higher percentage with the two revisions scheduled for May and June 2023.”
The crisis in the tire industry placed Crespo in an expectant position because it had the country in suspense during the last week of negotiations, when the situation escalated to the point of stopping the production of wheels.
When the government threatened to open imports, Crespo gained regional relevance and won the support of his peers from the Brazilian tire union, who condemned the “serious behavior and intransigent attitudes” of the companies. Bridgestone, Pirelli and Fate. In addition, they warned that the attitude of the companies could cause a “greater conflict at the regional and global level.” In his speech during the assembly that celebrated the joint victory, Crespo thanked his Brazilian teammates and, taking into account that it was the year of the World Cup, he invited them to play soccer.
Projection. Today Crespo has earned the respect of his peers and emerges as another alternative leader within the universe of union members outside the CGT. He has a good relationship with Pablo Moyano, but his style is more similar to that of the “Chicken” Sombrero or Nestor Segovia’sof the metro delegates.
Crespo is not only a warning sign for the owners of the tire companies, it has also become a wake-up call for the Peronist union leaders.
