Argentines began their fourth general strike since the start of Javier Milei’s government in 2023 this Thursday, February 19. The work stoppage is against the ultra-liberal government’s labor reform which, as trade union confederations denounce, guts the conditions and rights of the country’s workers.
The protests are taking place on the same day that the Chamber of Deputies votes, starting at 2:00 pm, on Milei’s proposal, already approved by the Argentine Senate last week. The bill rolls back labor rights by:
- reducing severance pay
- allowing payments in goods or services
- extending the daily workday to up to 12 hours
- limiting the right to strike
The work stoppage, which began at 12:01 am and will last 24 hours, was called by the country’s main trade union confederation. Trains, subways, buses, and planes did not run on Thursday morning, and last night there were protests at various intersections in Buenos Aires.
“We want to tell the government that the people did not give them their vote so that they could take away their rights,” declared Cristian Jerónimo, one of the general secretaries of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), on Wednesday, anticipating that the action would be “forceful”.
The main passenger transport unions initially joined the protest. Additionally, 255 flights were canceled, a measure affecting 31,000 passengers, Aerolíneas Argentinas reported.
Port workers also joined, paralyzing important terminals such as Rosario, one of the world’s largest exporters of agricultural products.
Government promises violence
On Tuesday, February 19, the government released a statement warning the press about the “risk” of covering the protests and established an “exclusive zone” on one of the side streets of the plaza for media outlets.
“In the face of acts of violence, our forces will act,” reads the text from the Ministry of Security, which recommended that journalists “avoid positioning themselves between potential flashpoints of violence and security force personnel.”
Although the CGT strike will take place without mobilization, different unions and political groups announced they will march to the Plaza del Congreso in downtown Buenos Aires.
Last week, when the labor reform bill was debated by the Senate, thousands of people gathered in demonstrations that ended in clashes with police and about thirty arrests.
Argentina is showing signs of declining industrial activity, with more than 21,000 companies closed in the last two years and the loss of about 300,000 jobs, according to union sources.
First published by Brasil de Fato in Portuguese.
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