By Natalia Kidd
Buenos Aires, Oct. 29 (EFE).- The Association of State Workers (ATE), Argentina’s largest public-sector union, began a 36-hour strike on Tuesday, protesting in Buenos Aires to demand better wages and denounce President Javier Milei’s economic policies.
On Tuesday, demonstrators gathered at the Obelisk in the Argentine capital to march towards the Ministry of Deregulation and Transformation of the State, headed by Federico Sturzenegger, responsible for implementing the Milei government’s policy aimed at shrinking the state.
The civil servants’ strike will coincide with Wednesday’s transport unions’ strike, a sign of growing discontent with the government’s policies.
“Argentina is practically facing a general strike this week. Planes, trains, subways, and trucks will not run,” said ATE general secretary Rodolfo Aguiar during Tuesday’s protest.
The union leader claimed that “this week a trade union common front of resistance and struggle is beginning in Argentina to stop President Milei’s policy of capitulation.”
Presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni told a press conference that the unions going on strike were “privileged people who can afford to strike,” because “decent Argentines do not have this possibility, nor do they want to.”
“What they are doing with these strikes is harming those who want to work,” he added.
Public sector workers are demanding an increase in wages, as high inflation in Argentina has eroded purchasing power.
According to the latest available official data, public sector wages rose by 93.5% in the first eight months of 2024, over 20 percentage points below the 116.1% increase in the private sector and below the 94.8% increase in inflation accumulated up to August.
ATE claims public sector salaries have lost 34 percentage points compared to the accumulated inflation, which jumped by 25.5% per month when Milei took office in December.
The union also claims that 75% of public workers have incomes below the poverty line, which was 964,620 pesos (957 dollars) in September.
The ATE and other public sector unions have also denounced Milei’s government massive layoffs, aimed at reducing the size of the public sector as part of its austerity plan to balance the public s.
According to official figures, by August the public istration and state-owned companies had 309,849 workers, some 28,500 fewer than before the Milei government took office.
The downsizing of the state is set to continue as the government announced that it will test the aptitude of 40,000 employees on temporary contracts that will only be renewed if they .
On Wednesday, the government said it would ask some 10,000 workers to start retiring.
The government’s also plans to privatize public companies, which is expected to affect the 100,000 workers. EFE
nk/mcd/ics
