Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei has faced a one-day general strike in protest against his decree targeting unions and his proposals for economic reforms.
The biggest union, known by its acronym CGT, organised the strike and was joined by other groups.
Strikers took to the streets in the capital, Buenos Aires, and other cities across the country, joined by social groups and political opponents, including the Peronist party that dominated national politics for decades.
Until his presidential run, Mr Milei, an economist, was known mostly for his televised speeches against the political caste. He secured victory last year by a wide margin and took office just over a month ago.
A self-declared “anarcho-capitalist”, he pledged a drastic reduction in state spending aimed at shoring up a government budget deficit that he says is fuelling red-hot inflation, which finished 2023 at 211%.
On December 20, Mr Milei issued a decree that would revoke or modify hundreds of existing laws so as to limit the power of unions and deregulate an economy featuring heavy state intervention.
A court ruling has put the labour changes on hold. He also sent a Bill to Congress that would enact sweeping reforms in the political, social, fiscal, legal, administrative and security fields.
As of early evening, Mr Milei had yet to comment publicly on the strike, which was scheduled to end at midnight. It remained unclear whether it would amount to a speedbump to his agenda or no obstacle at all.
While people have legitimate reasons to complain – triple-digit inflation and a steep devaluation of Argentina’s peso – behind the scenes the main impetus for the strike was the president’s drive to weaken union power, Buenos Aires-based analyst Sergio Berensztein said.
“For union leaders what is at stake is really a lot. If they don’t complain, their bargaining capacity is going to drop dramatically and their influence in politics is going to dwindle,” Mr Berensztein told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “Milei feels quite comfortable confronting these leaders. He’s still very popular – union leaders are unpopular.”
The walkout was Argentina’s first general strike in more than four years, and it was also the quickest ever to be organised in a president’s term since the return of democracy in 1983, according to a review by local media outlet Infobae.
“We’re going to lose more rights that we worked for,” teacher Karina Villagra told AP in a plaza in front of Congress. “The militancy should be stronger than ever.”
Mr Milei won the run-off election with 56% of the votes, and in his inaugural address told Argentina that things would get worse before improving.
Two separate polls this month show he retains support of more than half of respondents despite accelerating inflation and mass lay-offs announced at state-owned firms.
Security Minister Patricia Bullrich on Wednesday accused strike organisers of being “mafiosos” bent on preventing the change Argentine voters chose, saying on the X platform that the action would not halt the administration’s progress.
Mr Milei’s spokesperson Manuel Adorni said at a news conference: “One cannot dialogue with people who try to stop the country and show a rather antidemocratic side.”
