Buenos Aires (Argentina) (AFP) – Shops and supermarkets closed, public transport was scarce, and garbage went uncollected Thursday as Argentine workers staged the fourth general strike of President Javier Milei’s term, this time to protest labor reforms. The few buses running in Buenos Aires were nowhere near full, although car traffic was unusually heavy, as many workers observed the 24-hour strike against the reforms bill being considered in Congress. Bus and train stations that are normally bustling were largely empty. On roads leading into the city, small groups of protesters blocked traffic.
The contested reforms pushed by the budget-slashing president, who is close to US President Donald Trump, would make it easier to hire and fire workers in a country where job security is already hard to come by. They would also reduce severance pay, limit the right to strike, increase work hours, and restrict holiday provisions. The measure was approved by the Senate last week and will now come before the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday. “I want to work because I am afraid of losing my job, but I cannot get there. I will have to walk,” said Nora Benitez, a 46-year-old homecare worker, looking at a five-kilometer (three-mile) trek to her job along streets that stink of garbage piling up.
The labor action comes as Argentina’s economy is showing signs of a downturn in manufacturing, with more than 21,000 companies having shuttered in two years under Milei, who became famous during his 2023 election campaign for waving a chainsaw at rallies. Unions say some 300,000 jobs have been lost since his austerity measures began. Most recently, Fate — Argentina’s main tire factory — on Wednesday announced the closure of its plant in Buenos Aires, prompting some 900 job cuts. The company cited a loss of competitiveness due to what it said was an indiscriminate opening to imports.
The last general strike was on April 10, 2025, but adherence was uneven as workers in the public transportation system did not join. This time, unions are backed by transportation unions and hope for a bigger impact. Last week, thousands of people demonstrated in Buenos Aires as senators debated the reform bill, and clashes with police resulted in about 30 arrests. On Tuesday, the government issued an unusual statement warning reporters about the “risk” of covering protests and announced it would establish an “exclusive zone” from which the media can work. “In the event of acts of violence, our forces will act,” a statement from the security ministry said.
Almost 40 percent of Argentine workers lack formal employment contracts, and unions say the new measures will make matters worse. But Milei’s government argues they will, in fact, reduce under-the-table employment and create new jobs by lowering the tax burden on employers. Milei will follow the events at home from Washington, where he is attending the first meeting of Trump’s “Board of Peace,” which has drawn criticism as an attempt to rival the United Nations.
© 2024 AFP
