In the next hours Javier Milei will face the first general strike in his almost recently inaugurated presidency of Argentina. Social, political and trade union organizations have expressed their support to the protest against the government's so-called Decree of Necessity and Urgency and the Omnibus Law.
By María Josefina Arce
In the next few hours, Javier Milei will face the first general strike in his almost recently inaugurated presidency of Argentina. Social, political and trade union organizations have expressed their support to the protest against the government's so-called Decree of Necessity and Urgency and the Omnibus Law.
Called by the General Confederation of Labor, the stoppage of activities will last 12 hours and also includes a march in Buenos Aires, the capital city, which will conclude in front of the Congress, where the two anti-popular proposals of the executive are being debated.
The authorities have threatened to deduct the day's pay for those workers who adhere to the strike, which has not prevented the support of the various unions for the protest.
The main labor union of the country denounced that the first act of the President is a decree which, in addition to contemplating arbitrary, unconstitutional and harmful provisions for civil rights, introduces a regressive labor reform.
Milei has already encountered obstacles to the decree he signed last December 20. Earlier this month, the Labor Court declared the labor changes ineffective. The suspension will be in force until a ruling on the case is issued.
Among the measures contemplated by the criticized labor reform are the reduction of severance payments and pregnancy leave, as well as the extension of testing periods in companies.
The truth is that the Decree of Necessity and Urgency, described by many as unconstitutional, faces great opposition from a large part of the population. In different courts, appeals have been filed against several points of the decree.The Omnibus Law project, which, if approved, would grant broad extraordinary powers to the ultra-liberal Milei, who assumed the presidency last December 10, does not escape this rejection.
The strike and mobilization of this January 24 has received the solidarity support of trade union organizations of other countries. In neighboring Uruguay, the PIT-CNT, Plenario Intersindical de Trabajadores-Convencion Nacional de Trabajadores, called for a rally in the vicinity of the Argentine embassy in Montevideo.
The year 2024 has begun for Argentina with protests against the government's neo-liberal shock plan which threatens the rights of the Argentine people and seeks to privatize important state enterprises for the benefit of large economic groups.
