The president of the Labor Legislation Committee, Lisandro Almirón, called a joint plenary session with the Budget and Finance Committee for Wednesday, February 18, at 2:00 PM. The official plan and the opposition strategy. The goal of La Libertad Avanza is to obtain a majority opinion on the same Wednesday to move to the chamber on Thursday, the 19th, in a marathon session that the ruling coalition estimates will exceed 20 hours of debate. In the block presided over by Patricia Bullrich, there is optimism for passing the law without amendments, despite the PRO (its main ally) insisting on incorporating virtual wallets as a salary payment method. However, the libertarians' concern lies with the harder opposition. The ruling coalition has drawn up an accelerated schedule in the Chamber of Deputies with the central objective of turning the labor reform into law, although the opposition is already sharpening its strategies to muddy the waters and prevent President Javier Milei from capitalizing on that victory in the next Legislative Assembly. According to what the Argentine News Agency learned, after the Senate passed the bill in the early hours of last Wednesday, the 12th, the timeline accelerated by direct order from the Casa Rosada. Vice President Victoria Villarruel forwarded the text that same Friday, and the head of the lower chamber, Martín Menem, activated the plan to consider it before the extraordinary sessions period expires. The necessary first step has already been taken: the government officially extended the extraordinary sessions until Saturday, February 28. In this way, the opposition seeks to strip Milei of the possibility of showcasing the "modernization" labor reform—one of the great banners of his administration—as an accomplished achievement during his speech before the Legislative Assembly on March 1.
Movement in the Senate. In parallel to the labor debate in the lower chamber, the upper chamber's agenda will also be active this short week: Wednesday, February 18 (5:00 PM): Meeting of the Foreign Relations and Worship Committee to debate the Mercosur-European Union agreement. Thursday, February 19 (11:00 AM): Meeting of the Agreements Committee to consider Fernando Iglesias's ambassadorial nomination. Thursday, February 19 (2:30 PM): Plenary of the Justice and Criminal Affairs and Budget and Finance Committees to consider the review of the Juvenile Penal Regime.
They seek to force changes in thorny articles—such as the Labor Assistance Fund (FAL), salary reduction for medical licenses, and the repeal of professional statutes—forcing the bill to return to the Senate for a second review. If the opposition achieves its goal, the Senate will not have time to ratify the law before February 28.
BUENOS AIRES, February 15 (NA) -- After the double Carnival holiday, the National Congress prepares to face a week of only three business days but of extremely high political intensity. Legislators from opposition blocks admitted to this agency that their main strategy is to "stretch the timelines".
