Argentina: Trade Unions Strike Against Milei's Reforms

0:00

/1861

1×

Facts

• Large Argentine trade unions engaged in a 24-hour strike Thursday, bringing transportation and other services to a halt in protest of libertarian Pres. Javier Milei’s sweeping reforms.¹
• Many streets were unusually empty, while key bus, rail, and subway lines were closed after workers walked off the job. Hundreds of flights were canceled, and many parents kept their kids from school while teachers took the day off.²
• The capital, Buenos Aires, saw its metro area brought to a standstill. Meanwhile, roughly 93K passengers were affected by air travel delays caused by the strike — Argentina’s second since Milei took office in December.³
• Milei won the presidency after running on a libertarian platform that looks to bring Argentina out of its economic crisis. His economic “shock therapy” includes massive spending cuts and public layoffs that have sparked anger from unions.⁴
• Milei’s omnibus bill on various economic sectors and issues is at the heart of the protests. First introduced in December, the bill passed the lower chamber of Congress after being revised and is now awaiting Senate approval to become law.⁵
• Milei’s La Libertad Avanza party is 10% of the Senate, and it's unclear how the chamber will vote on the bill that would privatize many state companies, cut labor regulations, shorten maternity leave, and lower the income tax threshold.⁵

Sources: ¹Dw.Com, ²Associated Press, ³Buenos Aires Times, ⁴BBC News and ⁵Courthouse News Service.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by UNI Global Union. Through successful strikes, workers can show their unity in opposition to Milei’s austerity plan, which poses a dangerous threat to Argentine workers, and his “shock therapy” measures that threaten to roll back important labor and environmental protections. The people are rejecting the government’s policies and Milei’s right-wing extremism.
• Right narrative, as provided by The Telegraph. Milei took over a country in the depths of unprecedented economic and political turmoil, and he's already turning it around in six months. Once a beacon of Western excellence, Argentina was driven to a societal nadir due to leftist regimes, but Argentina is enjoying the start of a promising recovery. Milei’s market-based reforms are saving Argentina.

Predictions