Buenos Aires, Nov 20 (EFE).- State workers, retirees, and social movements returned to the streets of Buenos Aires on Wednesday to protest against the austerity policies and the labor reform planned by the ultraliberal government of Javier Milei.
The new protest began with a march by the Association of State Workers (ATE), the country's largest public sector union, to the headquarters of Argentina's Secretariat of Labor in central Buenos Aires.
The union, which is on strike on Wednesday, rejects the labor reform bill that the Milei government plans to send to Congress for debate shortly.
After ATE called for Wednesday's protest, the Ministry of Security denounced union leader Rodolfo Aguiar to the judiciary, accusing him of threatening the democratic order due to statements in which, when asked for his opinion on the labor reform, the union leader said his "job" was "to provoke a crisis in this government."
In an interview with EFE, Aguiar stated on Wednesday that "immediately" after ATE decided to go on strike, "the government began its provocations and threats."
"The government doesn't know the value that state workers have. We reject the labor reform, which is absolutely regressive in terms of rights," Aguiar emphasized.
Hours later, the voices of protest were heard, as they are every Wednesday, around the Congress, where retirees are insisting on their demand for the government to increase pensions, which are hovering at the poverty level.
Unlike other Wednesdays, there were no attacks by security forces on the protesters this time.
"It is important to support this demand from the retirees, which the government does not listen to, which vetoes laws passed to improve their situation and which has also dedicated itself to beating them, showing its cruelty as a way to discipline society," stated to EFE Peronist leader Jorge Taiana, an elected deputy and former Minister of Defense and Foreign Affairs of Argentina.
Later, retirees were joined by social movements and left-wing political groups, who, from the doors of Congress, marched to the Plaza de Mayo, in front of the seat of the Argentine Executive.
During their march, they expressed their rejection, in addition to Milei's economic policy, of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the recent framework agreement signed by the Milei government with the Donald Trump Administration with a view to signing a pact on trade and investment.
"This is the resounding response: a massive mobilization in the capital and a strike with an average participation of over 90% throughout Argentina."
