Javier Milei's government and the May Council will submit the employment reform on December 9 to Congress, and it will be processed during extraordinary sessions. So far, the Executive Branch has not made the call official.
The chapters in the employment reform include: ultra-activity, bargaining agreement relationship, tax burden, tolls and funding of unions and chambers, collective rights, individual workers’ rights, freelance workers, union democracy and various repeals.
The decision to bring forward the final presentation of the May Council to December 9 points towards the beginning of extraordinary sessions, which —according to different sources— would only start on December 10 up to as late as December 31, at least the first section. The format to present the final document has not been defined yet, though the employment reform is expected to be submitted to Congress immediately after it is exposed to the public.
Gerardo Martínez, leader of the UOCRA construction union and union representative before the May Council, stated that they will not accept “a reform that implies a setback” in terms of employment rights. The statement is read as ambiguous within a union being currently renewed and which, for the time being, shows no signs of doing more than public statements by some leaders.
After the meeting of the Council, Martínez visited the office of advisor Santiago Caputo, with whom he has a smooth relationship, though no details of the meeting have been disclosed.
The government did not specify any call to the Workers’ Confederation (CGT in Spanish), and thus a meeting with the new union leadership is neither confirmed nor ruled out to assess the items discussed in the May Council.
In a political sign within Casa Rosada, Cabinet chief Manuel Adorni chaired for the first time one of the meetings of the Council, a role which until now had been played by Guillermo Francos since the body was created.
The members of the Council —Martínez (union sector), Carolina Losada (Senate), Cristian Ritondo (Chamber of Deputies) and Alfredo Cornejo (governors)— will meet again before December 9. Although the date is yet to be confirmed, it is estimated to be next week to finalise items and agree on a final document. Internal versions state that Milei might chair the presentation for the announcement to capitalise on communication.
The modification of the Glacier Law is also being analysed within the May Council. The change is linked with the government’s intent to move forward with mining in such provinces as San Juan. On Wednesday, the Mendoza legislature processed four mining bills, though without affecting any glaciers.
In parallel, it is estimated that the 2026 Budget, the fiscal innocence bill (regularisation of undeclared savings, or “dollars under mattresses”) and the fiscal responsibility bill (reinforcing the surplus) will now be debated in the Chamber of Deputies, the usual venue for taxing matters.
The employment reform, tax reform, modification of the Glacier Law and the new Criminal Code might also enter extraordinary sessions, the Criminal Code being submitted by chapters due to its length.
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