Striking workers slow down Buenos Aires with labour reform protest

Shops and supermarkets closed, public transport was scarce and garbage went uncollected Thursday as workers in Argentina staged their fourth general strike of President Javier Milei's term, this time against his controversial labour reform push.

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.

Bus and train stations that are normally bustling were largely empty. On roads leading into the capital, small groups of protesters blocked traffic. Banks and financial institutions were shuttered.

Many shops, however, were open, though with fewer customers than usual.

State carrier Aerolíneas Argentinas had to reschedule more than 250 flights, affecting some 31,000 passengers. Buenos Aires’ Aeroparque Jorge Newbery Airport was almost deserted, with planes idle on the runway.

The CGT (Confederación General del Trabajo) umbrella labour federation said more workers adhered to the walkout call than for any of the previous three strikes.

"It has levels of compliance like never before under this government," union leader Jorge Sola, one of the CGT’s top leaders, told Radio con Vos. "The support is impressive." 

Sola estimated that compliance with the strike from union members “was over 90 percent.”

“We have been consistent and responsible in maintaining social peace,” he added.

Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni slammed the union leaders, describing the strike as “extortionate” and “perverse.”

“There is a reason why people hate them,” said Adorni, accusing the labour leaders of attempting to “harm Argentina.”

“There is nothing more extortionate and contrary to freedom than what the trade unionists are doing.”

The contested reforms pushed by Milei’s government would make it easier to hire and fire workers in a country where job security is already hard to come by.

It would also reduce severance pay, limit the right to strike, increase work hours and change holiday provisions.

Unions describe the changes as “regressive and unconstitutional.”

One local consultancy firm, Zentrix, published a snap poll Thursday showing that seven in ten respondents supported the strike, with 27 percent against.

The measure was approved by the Senate last week and comes before the lower house Chamber of Deputies Thursday. If approved, it will go back to the upper chamber for a final green light.

"I want to work because I am afraid of losing my job but I cannot get there. I will have to walk," said Nora Benítez, a 46-year-old home caregiver as she set off on a five-kilometre (three mile) trek to her job along streets reeking of piled up garbage.

"This reform worsens the employment situation," said Amílcar La Cueva, a 55-year-old metalworker, as she demonstrated near Congress.

Milei’s labour modernisation push comes with Argentina's economy showing signs of a downturn in manufacturing, with more than 21,000 companies having shuttered in two years under Milei.

The La Libertad Avanza leader came to power after wielding a chainsaw at rallies during the 2023 election campaign to symbolise the deep cuts he planned to make to public spending.

Unions say some 300,000 jobs have been lost since Milei's austerity measures began.

Fate – Argentina's largest domestic tyre manufacturer – on Wednesday announced the closure of its plant in Buenos Aires, prompting some 900 job cuts.

The last general strike in Argentina was on April 10, 2025, but adherence was uneven as workers in the public transport system did not join. 

Last week, thousands of people demonstrated in the capital as senators debated the reform bill. Clashes between police and protesters resulted in about 30 arrests.

The CGT did not call a large rally for Thursday, though some unions said they would turn out to protest regardless.

At around noon, representatives from the Partido Obrero political party, as well as MST and CTA unions, among others, descended on Congress.

Initial reports from the march say that authorities arrested four minors, one of whom had a warrant out for their arrest.

At several intersections leading to the capital, small groups of protesters disrupted traffic in protest against the reform.

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 workers in Argentina lack formal employment contracts. 

Unions say the new measures will make matters worse. The government argues they will in fact reduce under-the-table employment and create new jobs by lowering the tax burden on employers.

Milei, in office since December 2023, has managed to slow runaway inflation, which stood at 150 percent when he took office and has fallen to 32 percent over the last two years.

But that success has come at the cost of massive public sector job cuts and a drop in disposable income that has sapped consumption and economic activity.

Milei is following Thursday's events at home from Washington, where he is attending the first meeting of US President Trump's "Board of Peace," which has drawn criticism as an attempt to rival the United Nations.

– TIMES/AFP/NA/PERFIL