Gas Station Labor Lawyer (SOESGyPE, CCT 371/03)
If you work as a pump attendant, shift supervisor, car washer, lubricator, or administrative staff at a gas station, your job is covered by CCT 371/03, the SOESGyPE collective bargaining agreement. You can claim the cash-handling premium if you work the register, the attendance bonus wrongly deducted for a justified absence, the night-shift premium from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., and the seniority pay miscalculated once you've passed 20 years with the company.
Is your attendance bonus being deducted, or aren't you paid for handling cash?
Send us your latest pay stubs and tell us your category and your schedule. The audit is free:
1. CCT 371/03 and the premiums that belong on your paystub
The industry-wide agreement is CCT 371/03, registered on December 10, 2003 (Resolution SsRL No. 19/03, file 1,069,235/03), which renewed the earlier CCT 322/99. On the employer side it's signed by the Confederación de Entidades del Comercio de Hidrocarburos y Afines de la República Argentina (CECHA) and the Federación de Empresarios de Combustibles de la República Argentina (FECRA); on the union side, by the Federación de Obreros y Empleados de Estaciones de Servicios, Garages, Playas de Estacionamiento, Lavaderos Automáticos y Gomerías (FOESGRA) and the Sindicato de Obreros y Empleados de Estaciones de Servicio, Garages y Playas de Estacionamiento (SOESGyPE). Article 3 sets the scope: the entire national territory, except the Provinces of Córdoba and Santa Fe, which have their own agreements. Article 4 covers all personnel working at gas stations and fuel-supply points of any kind.
Article 5 sets the categories: shift supervisor, pump attendant, service worker (which splits into lubricator, car washer, and tire technician), administrative staff, auxiliary worker, driver, interior/annex worker, relief worker, and night watchman. Article 6 describes each in detail: the shift supervisor collects the cash from pump attendants, controls checks and cards, and prepares the shift's cash report; the pump attendant dispenses fuel, checks oil and tire pressure, and is the supervisor's "direct collaborator."
On top of each category's base salary (Art. 10), the agreement adds premiums that almost never show up in full on the paystub:
- Cash-handling premium (Art. 12): an 8% premium on your total monthly pay for any employee who handles the employer's money, checks, credit or debit cards, vouchers, or any other value. The rule is explicit: it applies to "employees of the different categories," not just the supervisor. Article 6 itself confirms it for pump attendants who work the register.
- Attendance bonus (Art. 13): another 8% on your total monthly pay, lost only if you have one unjustified absence or three late arrivals in the month. The rule spells out what doesn't count against you: union leave, marriage leave, annual vacation, birth of a child, death of a family member, medically certified illness, and workplace accidents.
- Seniority (Art. 11): 2% of your category's base pay per year, up through year 20. From year 21 onward, the rate rises to 3% per year (without recalculating the first 20 years). A worker with 25 years, for example, is entitled to a 55% premium.
- Gas Station Workers' Day (Art. 14): August 27 is recognized as the industry's employee day; if you have to work that day, it's paid with a 100% premium.
- Uniform (Art. 42): three uniforms a year at no cost, with a different kit depending on your category: pump-station staff get three shirts, three pants, a jacket, and two pairs of shoes; car washers and lubricators additionally get rubber boots, aprons, and gloves.
Four distinctions that define your claim
- The agreement doesn't cover the whole country: Córdoba and Santa Fe fall outside CCT 371/03 (Art. 3) and have their own arrangement.
- Cash-handling and the attendance bonus are two separate premiums: both 8% items stack. Earning one isn't "the same" as earning the other, and many employers only pay one of the two.
- Seniority isn't linear: it climbs from 2% to 3% per year only starting at year 21 of employment, not before.
- A pump attendant who works the register isn't "less" than a supervisor: Art. 6 expressly extends the Art. 12 benefit to pump attendants who handle cash, even though their category ranks below shift supervisor.
2. Hours, weekends, and the night shift
Article 44 sets the workweek from Monday through Sunday, according to each establishment's schedule, with the legal compensatory day off. Article 45 sets a special rule for washing, lubrication, and oil changes: those tasks must end by 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, and anyone working past that hour through midnight Sunday must be paid a 100% premium for every hour in that window.
Article 46 governs excess hours: 50% extra for daytime hours and 100% for nighttime hours. The night period runs from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the following day, and the night shift lasts seven hours, under Article 200 of the Labor Contract Law. Article 47 bis excuses staff from reporting on December 24 and 31 between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., with no loss of pay, except for a minimum crew the employer may require, which in that case is paid at 100%.
Article 50 requires the employer to keep a schedule and rest-day log showing each worker's start and end times, and to record all overtime on the monthly paystub so it factors into the year-end bonus. When the employer fails to produce that log, it works in your favor as to the hours you claim.
3. The claims we see most at gas stations
Cash-handling pay that only the supervisor gets. The most common claim: you're a pump attendant, you work the register during your shift, and the employer only pays the 8% under Art. 12 to the shift supervisor. The agreement says the opposite: any category that handles money, cards, or checks is entitled to the premium.
The attendance bonus deducted for a justified absence. The 8% under Art. 13 gets taken away for a medically certified sick leave, union leave, or the birth of a child. The article itself lists those as absences that do not forfeit the bonus — the deduction directly contradicts the agreement's text.
Saturday afternoon and Sunday paid as a regular hour. At the car washes and service bays covered by the agreement, Art. 45 requires 100% for everything worked after 1:00 p.m. on Saturday through midnight Sunday. It's a gap that adds up quickly for anyone working weekend shifts.
Night premium simply not paid. You work overnight dispensing fuel and the employer pays that hour the same as a daytime hour, when Art. 46 requires a 100% premium between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m.
Seniority stuck at 2%. Workers with more than 20 years at the same station keep earning 2% a year when, from year 21 onward, the Art. 11 rate rises to 3%. For long-tenured staff, that's a permanent, compounding wage gap.
Downgraded classification. Pump attendants listed as "auxiliary worker" (a lower-paying category) while in fact dispensing fuel and serving customers, or administrative staff handling accounts-receivable collections without their real category and tasks being recognized.
The premium that disappears before dismissal. Under Article 245 of the LCT as amended by Article 51 of Law 27,802 (Official Gazette, March 6, 2026), the severance base is the best regular, ordinary monthly pay of the last year, and a pay item is considered ordinary/habitual when it was earned for at least six months in the last calendar year. If you were pulled off the register or the night shift shortly before dismissal, the exact date of that change decides whether the cash-handling or night premium enters your severance.
4. Step by step
Gather your documents. Pay stubs from the last twenty-four months, your real schedule (shifts, days off, holidays worked), and any record that you handle cash (signed cash sheets) or of the absences that triggered the bonus deduction.
Reconstruct your real situation. Shift by shift: whether you work the register, whether you work past 1:00 p.m. on Saturday doing washing or lubrication, whether you have hours between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Compare that against what each paystub actually paid.
Send a formal demand. The labor telegram is free for employees under Law 23,789. Spell out the amounts owed — cash-handling, attendance bonus, night premium, seniority — with the period and a reasonable deadline to respond.
SECLO. In Buenos Aires City, the mandatory labor conciliation under Law 24,635 comes before any lawsuit: it's free, a conciliator is assigned by lottery, and filing suspends the statute of limitations for six months.
Lawsuit. Filed before the National Labor Courts. Claims are adjusted under the criterion of Article 276 of the LCT as set by Article 54 of Law 27,802: the change in the Consumer Price Index plus 3% annually. Severance seniority is computed by year or fraction greater than three months.
5. Mistakes that cost you money
Not keeping signed cash sheets. They're the most direct proof that you handle cash and are owed the 8% under Art. 12, especially if you're not the shift supervisor.
Not requesting the medical certificate in time. If you lose the attendance bonus because of an illness, a timely certificate is what lets you claim back the 8% wrongly deducted.
Not tracking hours worked after 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. In washing and lubrication, that window pays 100%: without your own record (messages, photos of the sheet, witnesses), it becomes hard to reconstruct months later.
Accepting a shift change without documenting it. If you're pulled off the night shift or the register before dismissal, that fact decides whether those premiums enter your severance.
Letting deadlines run out. Labor claims expire after two years (Art. 256 LCT): every month that passes drops the oldest month from your wage-difference claim.
6. Frequently asked questions about gas station work
What agreement covers me if I work at a gas station?
CCT 371/03, registered on December 10, 2003, which renewed the earlier CCT 322/99. It's signed by CECHA and FECRA on the employer side, and by FOESGRA and SOESGyPE on the union side.
Does the agreement apply throughout Argentina?
Not the whole country: Article 3 expressly excludes the Provinces of Córdoba and Santa Fe, which have their own collective agreement. It applies in Buenos Aires City, Buenos Aires Province, and the rest of the national territory.
I'm a pump attendant and I also work the register on my shift — am I owed the cash-handling premium?
Yes. Article 12 entitles any employee who handles money, checks, or credit/debit cards to 8% of their total monthly pay, regardless of category. Article 6 itself expressly recognizes it for pump attendants who work the register.
Is the attendance bonus lost if I miss work due to illness?
No, if you present a medical certificate. Article 13 clarifies that medically certified illness, workplace accidents, union leave, marriage leave, annual vacation, and the birth of a child do not cause you to lose the 8% attendance bonus.
How is seniority calculated at gas stations?
Article 11 sets 2% of your base pay per year of seniority through year 20. From year 21 onward, the rate rises to 3% per additional year. A worker with 25 years is entitled to an accumulated 55% premium.
I work nights at the pumps — am I owed a premium?
Yes. Article 46 sets a 100% premium for night hours, running from 9:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. the following day, with a seven-hour night shift under Article 200 of the LCT.
I wash cars on Saturday afternoons — should that be paid differently?
Yes. Article 45 requires washing, lubrication, and oil-change tasks to end by 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Everything worked after that hour through midnight Sunday is paid with a 100% premium per hour.
Am I entitled to a uniform?
Yes. Article 42 requires the employer to provide three uniforms a year at no cost, with a kit specific to your category: pump-station staff get shirts, pants, a jacket, and shoes; car washers and lubricators additionally get rubber boots, aprons, and gloves.
What happens if I work on August 27, Gas Station Workers' Day?
Article 14 recognizes that date as the industry's employee day. If you have to work, your shift is paid with a 100% premium.
I was classified as "auxiliary worker" but I dispense fuel and serve customers — can I claim a reclassification?
Yes. Your category is defined by the tasks you actually perform (Art. 6), not by what the paystub says. If your duties match pump attendant or another higher-paying category, you can claim reclassification and the retroactive wage difference for the last two years.
How long do I have to claim differences in cash-handling pay, seniority, or overtime?
Two years from when each difference accrued, or from the end of the employment relationship, under Art. 256 of the LCT. Sending a demand telegram or filing at SECLO suspends that deadline for six months.