Workers across Argentina walked off the job Thursday as the nation’s Congress prepared to vote on sweeping changes to employment laws championed by libertarian President Javier Milei.
The Chamber of Deputies was scheduled to consider the controversial workplace legislation late Thursday, while a massive 24-hour work stoppage disrupted transportation, banking, and government services nationwide.
Argentina’s most powerful labor organization, the CGT umbrella union, organized the strike to protest what it calls an attack on decades-old worker rights, including protections for striking employees. The walkout affected bus and train services, banks, and government offices across the South American nation.
Maritime workers had already begun their own 48-hour work stoppage Wednesday, shutting down cargo operations at the port of Rosario, a critical hub for the country’s agricultural exports and one of the world’s busiest grain ports.
Milei’s administration defends the proposed changes as necessary economic reforms that will attract business investment and create more legitimate jobs. The legislation received approval from Argentina’s Senate last week with backing from Milei’s party and centrist coalition partners.
Under the proposed reforms, companies would face restrictions on striking workers’ ability to completely shut down essential services, requiring minimum staffing levels during work stoppages. The changes would also reduce costs for employers when laying off workers by removing certain bonus payments from severance calculations.
Financial markets are closely monitoring whether Milei can successfully advance his free-market economic policies through Congress. If lawmakers modify the legislation during Thursday’s vote, it would return to the Senate for final consideration before becoming law.
