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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — An Argentine union paralyzed rush hour train traffic on Thursday, a day after Argentina’s transportation minister showed videos of commuter train drivers reading books, talking on cellphones and even sleeping when they should have been focused on the rails.

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The union said it called the strike due to a salary dispute, but Interior and Transport Minister Florencio Randazzo said it was clearly in response to the government’s decision to install video cameras in train cabins and impose other new rules on drivers to reduce accident risks.

The videos show one driver sleeping through repeated road crossings, and another covering up the camera with a shirt. Others read books and sent text messages as the trains roll on at high speeds.

“Do you think we’re stupid? Yesterday we showed horrifying videos and we wake up to a surprise strike by no more than 150 people who work on the Sarmiento line?” Randazzo complained Thursday in an interview on local Radio La Red.