The ANDE Workers Union (Sitrande) suspended the mobilization scheduled for Tuesday in front of the state electricity utility's headquarters, following an agreement in the Chamber of Deputies to broaden debate on the bill creating the Ministry of Energy, Mines and Hydrocarbons. The decision was announced by the union's general secretary, Adolfo Villalba, after a meeting with Chamber President Raúl Latorre and other lawmakers.
The proposal, included in the agenda for Tuesday's regular session, prompted an immediate reaction from Sitrande, which called an extraordinary assembly to define details of the protest. The union claimed the text threatened ANDE's structure and workers' rights, and did not match the version sent by the Executive Branch. According to Sitrande, the project was an old initiative from legislators, stalled in Congress for at least two years.
During the meeting, Latorre committed to postponing the vote and promoting a broad dialogue table on energy, with participation from ANDE representatives, lawmakers, and the government. "We will not rush or impose anything. We want to strengthen ANDE and give predictability to the sector," said Deputy Alejandro Aguilera, who also participated in the meeting. Latorre said he had spoken with President Santiago Peña, who would be willing to seek consensus on the issue.
Villalba described the outcome as positive and said he would communicate the commitments made to the union's base. "With this announcement, we will not mobilize," he stated. The leader emphasized that Paraguay has strategic energy surplus that could be better utilized by ANDE to benefit users. ANDE President Félix Sosa had presented technical studies on demand evolution, reinforcing the importance of discussing the issue based on data.
Sitrande had asked workers to postpone non-urgent travel to ensure participation in the protest. The union warned that creating the new ministry and a regulatory body could weaken the state utility, considered "the people's heritage." The possibility of a national strike, which could have coincided with the doctors' stoppage in public hospitals over salary adjustments, was avoided with the agreement.
The discussion gained momentum after Vice President Pedro Alliana's visit to the United States, where rumors emerged about the U.S. government's interest in uranium exploration in Paraguay. The project, however, had not advanced in Congress for years.