ADEOMS Salto led the mobilization in front of the City Hall following the mass termination of contracts.
ADEOMS demonstration outside the City Hall resulted in harassment against a municipal employee: witnesses and local news reports report that the worker was singled out and pressured by protesters during the protest over contract terminations. The scene, according to news reports and sources on the scene, included shouting at officials and an atmosphere of intimidation that many residents described as excessive.
The background to the conflict is concrete: the Municipality announced the termination of nearly 292 temporary contracts, and the ADEOMS union responded with meetings, strikes, and demonstrations, calling the measure an attack on job security. The union declared a conflict and announced it will take the claim to national and labor courts; the municipality, however, maintains that this is an administrative order to review hiring without due process.
The protest and the way it unfolded highlight political and union . Going out to protest when there's injustice isn't the same as turning the streets into a corral where employees who aren't protagonists in the political fight are exposed. If there were insults to a public official, it's appropriate to condemn them unequivocally and demand measures that guarantee safety for those who carry out their duties.
Furthermore, the tension has another aspect: multiple complaints against the previous administration for alleged discretionary allocations and the handing over of land to activists are fueling the dispute. Opposition council members have pointed out patronage practices during Andrés Lima's administration and announced they will take evidence to court; these complaints serve to explain why the new administration is seeking to review appointments, although they do not justify the protests escalating into individual persecution.
In practice, the scenario is too similar to an old political trick: if the audit reveals irregularities, fine; let the courts act. If workers' rights have been violated, fine too; let them be redressed. What's not right is using people as a shield and shoving those who bear no public responsibility for specific administrative decisions . That's not activism: it's bullying.
What should we demand now? First, that the Mayor's Office guarantee the protection of municipal employees and that the police and other authorities act to ensure that the protests do not lead to attacks. Second, that ADEOMS pursue its demands without making third parties the targets of the protests and that it investigate internal responsibilities, if applicable. Third, that a public audit be opened into the reported contracts, with deadlines and access to files to dispel doubts.
If there are guilty parties, let justice be held accountable. If rights have been violated, let them be restored. In the meantime, Salto deserves less circus and more transparency: the exchange of accusations between supporters and union members cannot hide the real human cost borne by employees and residents. What's needed here is management, not a gang.
