Overview
- The rule that had allowed temporary rural workers to keep social-plan benefits while taking registered seasonal jobs expired on September 30, ending a four-year compatibility regime.
- UATRE and RENATRE formally sought an extension on August 22, and the Labor Secretariat says a prórroga request is on file, yet no renewal has been announced.
- Producers and unions warn that many workers may now refuse formal registration to avoid losing subsidies, raising legal exposure for employers and straining harvest operations in regions such as Misiones, Río Negro and Cuyo.
- Supporters argue the policy brought about 120,000 rural workers and their families into registered employment and maintained pension contributions without additional fiscal cost.
- Advocacy has intensified through Senate events, OIT discussions and meetings with legislative candidates, with unions and business groups also calling for broader wage and labor-rule reforms tailored to seasonal work.