News of workers

Argentina’s union calls strike, to affect Vaca Muerta production

16-06-2024 08:39 The Union of Private Oil and Gas Workers says it will hold a 48-hour strike starting Tuesday.

Thousands march on Workers' Day, voicing opposition to Milei's labour reform

02-05-2024 00:31 CGT mobilises and marches with criticism of the government and confirms general strike for next Thursday; United left-wing groups stage rally in Plaza de Mayo.

POLITICS & ECONOMY

Tensions soar as sacked state workers react to lay-offs

03-04-2024 16:41 Security forces deployed as state workers react angrily to mass lay-offs. Patricia Bullrich defends operation as sacked public employees try to re-enter offices.

POLITICS & ECONOMY

Milei to cut 70,000 state jobs, boasting of chainsaw austerity

26-03-2024 22:29 President plans to fire 70,000 government workers in the coming months, he confirms in speech to IEFA Latam Forum in Buenos Aires.

STATE NEWS AGENCY SHUTTERED

Government extends suspension of workers at Télam state news agency

11-03-2024 20:42 Workers at state news agency given another week off with pay as bosses offer voluntary redundancy to employees.

EDUCATION & LABOUR

Teachers' unions call national strike after failure of wage talks

29-02-2024 16:36 Education workers associated with CGT umbrella union group to stage walkout on Monday in protest at failure of wage renegotiation talks and spending cuts.

Brazil and Wall Street

Lula pulls off rare trick twice, wooing Wall Street and the poor

26-02-2024 11:09 In his first year back in power, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has again managed to keep both low-income voters and Wall Street investors happy

LABOUR TENSIONS

Strikes pile up amid sting of Milei’s shock therapy

21-02-2024 16:03 Rail service, healthcare and schools all face disruption; Unions pushing back against government austerity measures.

Congress

Omnibus Law: What’s in and what’s out as bill goes to Congress?

01-02-2024 12:08 President Milei’s government had to make serious concessions and remove several points from the original text of its sweeping mega-reform bill, which is now slashed down to 386 articles from the original 664.

ANTI-AUSTERITY PROTEST

Anti-austerity protesters rally in first test of new anti-picket protocol

20-12-2023 20:10 Left-wing groups stage demonstration in Buenos Aires on anniversary of 2001 protests; Bullrich claims success as first public protest against Milei administration passes off peacefully.

'Plan platita'

Government boosts election spending, risking even more inflation

26-09-2023 23:51 Informal jobs make up nearly half of Argentina’s labour market, depending on the degree of formality that’s considered.

'plan platita' reloaded

Massa targets three million voters with informal worker bonus

26-09-2023 23:44 Hours before electoral ban comes into effect, ruling coalition presidential candidate Sergio Massa makes one last ‘plan platita’ play; Economy minister targets between two and three million voters in informal sector with post-devaluation payments.

ELECTION 2023

Milei, Barrionuevo and the ‘casta sindical’

22-09-2023 05:50 Restaurant worker chieftain Luis Barrionuevo, who has been meeting with libertarian presidential frontrunner Javier Milei, is perhaps the union leader with the greatest number of leaps and bounds in modern Argentine politics.

by Javier Calvo

Election 2023

Massa doubles down on ‘plan platita,’ preps new measures

21-09-2023 23:58 Reports say economy minister poised to announce sweeping measure for three million informal workers, as well as tax relief for self-employed shopkeepers, professionals and service providers.

Foreign Policy & Diplomacy

Biden and Lula to launch workers' rights pact in meeting Wednesday

20-09-2023 07:00 The two presidents are taking further steps to tighten relations based on their mutual support for worker's rights and organized labor

MASSA'S NEW MEASURES

Argentina lifts wages, welfare in defiance of IMF austerity push

28-08-2023 12:29 IMF approved US$7.5-billion cash transfer to Argentina in August; Negotiations over loan included limits on more public spending.

CLIMATE & ENERGY

Small solar projects help to power Argentina’s energy transition

01-08-2023 06:17 Distributed generation and local actors are boosting renewables, democratising energy and reducing bills

HUMAN RIGHTS

Ex-Molinos executive arrested for role in dictatorship crimes

06-07-2023 00:52 Emilio Parodi, 82, arrested at home in Vicente López for alleged crimes against humanity; Former manager of Molinos Río de La Plata food company being investigated for role in kidnapping and disappearance of 23 workers during the era of state terrorism.

SURVEY

Poll: Almost 7 in 10 Argentines are unhappy with their jobs

17-01-2023 17:14 New survey by the Bumeran job portal shows that people living in Argentina are among the most dissatisfied workers in the region; 67% are unhappy with their jobs and 61% think their pay isn't enough.

World Cup legacy

Qatar sees off World Cup criticism to claim diplomatic victory

22-12-2022 15:59 As a major global supplier of natural gas and an intermediary in conflict zones such as Afghanistan, Qatar already possessed diplomatic clout but it struggled to gain public recognition. But hosting the World Cup has left an impression on the Arab world and beyond.

HEALTH

Health workers in Buenos Aires strike for improved pay, more staff

08-11-2022 15:44 Hospitals across the capital affected by mass walk-out as healthcare professionals demand “urgent increase” to salaries and “immediate incorporation” of new staff.

LABOUR TENSIONS

Wage talks, inflation, union divisions: Orange alert as October heats up

12-10-2022 22:39 Runaway three-digit wage increases impact on multiple fronts. Tussle among unions to clinch the biggest wage hikes, conflict between the CGT and leftist groupings over increasingly poor wage-earners. The business world watches on, fearing escalation.

by Juan Pablo Kavanagh