The Central Bank of Argentina approved the replacement of the former Handbook of Unemployment Fund, in shape and features, by the new Smart Card “I am a Building Worker” which has been fuelled by the Argentine Building Workers Union (UOCRA), supported by the Argentinean Chamber of the Building Industry [Cámara Argentina de la Construcción (CAC)] and implemented by the Institute for Building Industry Statistics and Registration [Instituto de Registro y Estadística de la Industria de la Construcción (IERIC)]

The Smart Card is a state-of-the-art technological tool which contains an embedded computer chip that stores all the workers job registry records and simplifies enrollment through the internet. It becomes a vital tool to provide our industry with registered employment.

More than 250,000 building workers have already got it and, from the first quarter of 2009, it will replace the former handbook, which will guarantee transparency, control and efficiency in the labour relations of our industry. Furthermore, it will simplify labour contracts paperwork procedures, strengthening the sense of industry membership and improving the building workers labour standard.

In order to use the card properly, the IERIC provides each company a card reader which is simply connected to a computer from where it can be checked the building worker’s job history records, labour specialization and the training courses taken. This action will effectively certify the worker category and specialization developed, besides this device will make retirement paperwork easier.