The General Confederation of Labor (CGT), Argentina’s main trade union federation, called a 24-hour general strike, without demonstrations, for next Thursday, coinciding with the debate in the Chamber of Deputies on the labor reform project proposed by the country’s president, Javier Milei. If negotiations between the legislative blocs continue and the debate is scheduled for next week, the general strike will also change its date. If it comes to fruition, this will be the fourth general strike during the Milei government.
The action was decided this Monday in a virtual meeting of the Steering Committee of the union center, held after the government announced its intention to debate the bill this week. Cristian Jerónimo, one of the general secretaries of the CGT, stated on Sunday, in an interview with Radio 10, that “all the conditions are met to call a general strike”.
Milei seeks a vote in the Chamber of Deputies and the promulgation of the law before March 1st, the date on which the ordinary session of Congress begins and he will give a speech on the State of the Nation. The debate on the bill is taking place in extraordinary sessions.
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The president published on the social network “Working alongside President Javier Milei to conclude the most successful extraordinary sessions in history,” wrote Bullrich on X, sharing the same images from the meeting.
The strike will be supported by the main unions in the transport sector, which foresee an almost total stoppage of services for 24 hours. Among the entities that have promised to join are the Unión Tranviarios Automotor (UTA), the bus drivers’ union, the Unión Ferroviaria, La Fraternidad and the unions united in the Confederación Argentina de Trabajadores del Transporte (Catt), which includes truck drivers, pilots, flight attendants and maritime and river workers.
The decision not to hold a demonstration in support of the strike was taken after last week’s protest, called by the union, which resulted in an armed confrontation, in which a group of protesters attacked the security forces with Molotov cocktails and stones, while they responded with rubber bullets and tear gas in front of Congress.
The Argentine government announced on Sunday that it will make changes to the sick leave system included in the labor reform, following criticism of the article that reduces the salaries of workers who are absent due to illness.
