Jorge Altamira

Who is Jorge Altamira?

Jorge Altamira, is an Argentine activist and politician leading the Workers' Party in Argentina.

He was born José Saúl Wermus in Buenos Aires, on 13 August 1942. Son of a printing worker active in the Graphist Union, Altamira began participating in the labor movement at an early age, and took part in a number of strikes. Altamira had a son. He founded an advocacy magazine, Política Obrera, in 1964, and, later a party by the same name. The party was banned following the March 1976 coup, however, though in 1982, amid the political liberalization that preceded the 1983 return to democracy, he founded the Workers' Party of Argentina. He was among five Workers' Party leaders arrested during the 1989 riots in Argentina on suspicion of incitement; the charges were later dropped.

Altamira was elected to the Buenos Aires City Legislature in 2000. He pursued a vigorous labor rights agenda during his tenure at the legislature, and proposed a six-hour workday for Buenos Aires Metro employees working underground, a law protecting workers' self-management of bankrupt businesses, a hike in the minimum wage to cover the poverty line in the city, and a universal healthcare coverage law.