As the entire Tierra del Fuego community protested the national government's measures against local industry, Mirgor CEO José Luis Alonso issued a statement in which he took a stand in favor of the measures unanimously and overwhelmingly criticized by the people of Tierra del Fuego.
Alonso spoke on behalf of the company, which has direct ties to the national government, as it is owned by the family of the economy minister and Milei's political boss.
Moreover, his position is more like that of a public official seeking to justify the measures than that of a representative of a company that will be harmed by the implemented policies.
According to the CEO of Mirgor , cell phone production jobs are not at risk , and he even stated that the National Secretariat of Industry and Commerce is considering taking additional measures to “ improve the competitiveness ” of the province and “ increase demand .”
In this excerpt from the statement, Alonso speaks as if he were a spokesperson for the current national administration , attempting to " reveal peace of mind " to the thousands of workers who demonstrated on Wednesday in the streets of Ushuaia, Río Grande, and Tolhuin in defense of their jobs.
" Under the current scenario, jobs linked to cell phone production are not at risk, since by intensifying efforts, we would be able to remain competitive even with the new 8% tariff ," the CEO said.
At the same time, he considered it “ important ” to emphasize that “ the possibility of selling from Tierra del Fuego to the final consumer arises, allowing us to reach out with competitive prices, stimulating consumption and, consequently, production .”
" Those produced under the Tierra del Fuego Industrial Promotion Regime will no longer be subject to this tax, which will significantly impact the prices at which these products are sold to the public, " he explained.
As a result of its rationale, it is suggested that jobs will be lost, but that it could be in a smaller proportion than that predicted by the initiative's opponents: " The measures announced are undoubtedly challenging and, if applied, will ensure a large part of the jobs linked to cell phone production for a scenario after January 2026. "
However, Mirgor 's position generated immediate repercussions among the workers. From the Metalworkers' Union, General Secretary Héctor Tapia stated that "if Alonso says the workers are not at risk, he should sign it."
" After yesterday's hearing (Tuesday), all we had left was to ratify the strike, because Alonso refused to sign anything ," Tapía said of the sector's recent collective bargaining meetings.
He added that " the CEO of Mirgor, José Luis Alonso, first asked for compulsory conciliation and did not want to talk about the national measures or the jobs ."
Another relevant fact in this context is that Alonso is the company's institutional voice in the deepwater port project in Río Grande , which was officially announced in 2022 and has not yet made any progress in its implementation.
