The BBC calls them “phantom workers”; Argentines call them “gnocchi” or “noqui”.
Here we call them no-shows:
Nearly 200 phantom workers at Argentina’s parliament have been caught in a crackdown on employees who only show up sporadically for their jobs, it has been reported.
Known as “gnocchi” or “noqui” in Argentina – after the popular dumpling dish that is traditionally served on the 29th of each month – it is a nickname given to state employees who do not perform real work, and only go to their official workplace once a month to claim their salary cheque.
With the new system in place, La Nación notes that “the corridors of the legislature are flooded with employees, the nearby cafes are crowded and old faces that were not seen in the area for a long time can be seen”.
The new biometric system requires employees to sign in with their fingerprint every day if they want to draw a salary, La Noticia1 reports.
Of the 160 staff under investigation from the payroll of 16,500 persons, 83 had missed at least 10 days in a row at work without being able to justify themselves.
Macri had already mass fired of 20,000 civil servants in January last year, a good start.
Long tradition in Argentina. I heard that after the 1976 coup, there weren’t enough chairs for all the “civil servants” who suddenly showed up for work out of fears the milicos would fire them.