经济学人:阿根廷的工资谈判

 　　Wage negotiations² in Argentina

　　阿根廷的工资谈判

　　Class war

　　一场关于开学的战争

　　Teachers'unions go out on strike

　　教师公会举行罢工

　　“IT CAN'T be that every annual salary negotiation¹ makes it a strain just to begin the school year,” said President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner during a speech to Congress on March 1st. Yes it can.

　　“决不能让每年的薪水谈判成为开学的绊脚石”总统克里斯蒂娜·费尔南德斯·基什内尔，在三月一日国会的演讲中这样说到。但事实就是如此。

　　Strikes this week delayed the start of classes in 19 of Argentina's 24 districts, after provincial³ unions and governments failed to reach agreements about wage rises. Negotiations between the national government and federal unions, which are meant to set a minimum benchmark for the provinces, also foundered⁴. With some unions demanding more than 40% hikes, the national government and Buenos Aires's provincial government, the most influential⁵ negotiators, offered increases of just 22% and 25.5% this year respectively. The unions called the proposals “a provocation”.

　　由于省工会和政府就涨工资的问题未能达成一致，本周的罢工已使阿根廷24个行政区中，19个行政区推迟了开学时间。中央政府和联邦公会间的谈判，本打算给各省设置最低工资标准，最后也以失败告终。一些公会要求的上涨幅度超过40%，而中央政府和布宜诺斯艾利斯省政府作为最有影响力的谈判者，分别在今年只提供22%和25%的上涨幅度。公会则称这些提议为“挑衅”。

　　Tension had been expected.The teachers'unions want salary rises above Argentina's galloping⁶ inflation rate. Since the start of the year the government has devalued the Argentine peso by over 20%, causing inflation expectations to spike⁷. According to Eduardo Levy⁸ Yeyati of Elypsis, a consultancy, prices are expected to jump by 32% this year. And now that the government has started publishing more realistic data, it cannot simply pretend the problem of rising prices does not exist.

　　分歧在人意料之中。教师工会希望工资涨幅超过阿根廷奔腾的通货膨胀率。从今年年初开始，政府已经将阿根廷比索贬值超过20%，导致通胀预期异常强烈。据一家名为Elypsis的咨询公司的员工Eduardo Levy Yeyati说，今年物价预期将增长32%。政府已不能简单的把物价上涨的问题当做不存在，目前正着手出版更真实的数据。

　　The teachers'unions have a strong hand. In December provincial police squeezed 35-100% pay increases out of their employers. Public-sector employees are not fearful of losing their jobs. Strikes give unions the power to cause widespread chaos⁹.

　　教师工会得到强大的帮助。十二月份，省部门的警察已经从政府那里争取来35%到100%不等的工资涨幅。公共部门的员工并不害怕丢掉工作。罢工引起的广泛骚动，给予了公会强大的力量。

　　But the government cannot afford to concede too much ground. The negotiations with the teachers will set a precedent¹⁰ for salary talks with other unions scheduled for later this month and April. To ensure that inflation does not continue to accelerate, the authorities need to curb¹¹ real wages. Budgetary considerations also play their part. According to Economía & Regiones, a research group, if the provinces were to grant 30% raises to their 2m employees, that would double their collective fiscal¹² deficit¹³.

　　但是政府也不能做太多的让步。本月晚些时候和四月份亦有跟其他公会就薪水问题进行谈判的计划，与教师的谈判会为他们创造先例。为了确保通货膨胀不会继续发展，当局需要抑制实际工资水平。预算方面的考虑也发挥着其自身的作用。据一个名为“经济与区域”的研究小组的研究结果显示，如果省里将其200万员工的工资提高30%，其集体财政赤字将翻倍。

　　That may nonetheless be what happens. In the five jurisdictions¹⁴ that were able to reach accords, the teachers and the provinces agreed to increases of around 30%. That wouldn't do much to bring down inflation, but it would at least help keep it from skyrocketing. And it would mean the school year can begin.

　　尽管如此，该发生的还是会发生。在达成一致的五个司法管辖区，教师与省政府同意将工资提高约30%。这虽然对降低通货膨胀没什么作用，但至少能帮助通货膨胀不再继续暴涨。当然，这也意味着新学年可以开始了。译者：萧毛毛

1 negotiation   

n.谈判，协商

参考例句：

• They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
• The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。

2 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

3 provincial   

adj.省的，地方的；n．外省人，乡下人

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes.城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。
• Two leading cadres came down from the provincial capital yesterday.昨天从省里下来了两位领导干部。

4 foundered   

v.创始人( founder的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Three ships foundered in heavy seas. 三艘船在波涛汹涌的海面上沉没了。 来自辞典例句
• The project foundered as a result of lack of finance. 该项目因缺乏资金而告吹。 来自辞典例句

5 influential   

adj.有影响的，有权势的

参考例句：

• He always tries to get in with the most influential people.他总是试图巴结最有影响的人物。
• He is a very influential man in the government.他在政府中是个很有影响的人物。

6 galloping   

adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The horse started galloping the moment I gave it a good dig. 我猛戳了马一下，它就奔驰起来了。
• Japan is galloping ahead in the race to develop new technology. 日本在发展新技术的竞争中进展迅速，日新月异。

7 spike   

n.长钉，钉鞋；v.以大钉钉牢，使...失效

参考例句：

• The spike pierced the receipts and held them in order.那个钉子穿过那些收据并使之按顺序排列。
• They'll do anything to spike the guns of the opposition.他们会使出各种手段来挫败对手。

8 levy   

n.征收税或其他款项，征收额

参考例句：

• They levy a tax on him.他们向他征税。
• A direct food levy was imposed by the local government.地方政府征收了食品税。

9 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

10 precedent   

n.先例，前例；惯例；adj.在前的，在先的

参考例句：

• Is there a precedent for what you want me to do?你要我做的事有前例可援吗？
• This is a wonderful achievement without precedent in Chinese history.这是中国历史上亘古未有的奇绩。

11 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

12 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

13 deficit   

n.亏空，亏损；赤字，逆差

参考例句：

• The directors have reported a deficit of 2.5 million dollars.董事们报告赤字为250万美元。
• We have a great deficit this year.我们今年有很大亏损。

14 jurisdictions   

司法权( jurisdiction的名词复数 )； 裁判权； 管辖区域； 管辖范围

参考例句：

• Butler entreated him to remember the act abolishing the heritable jurisdictions. 巴特勒提醒他注意废除世袭审判权的国会法令。
• James I personally adjudicated between the two jurisdictions. 詹姆士一世亲自裁定双方纠纷。