Argentine workers are holding a national strike and a mass demonstration to protest against the labor reform project proposed by the government. According to the General Secretary of the State Workers' Association, Rodolfo Aguiar, this project, funded by taxpayers, will lead to a wave of layoffs. Aguiar stated that in a country where all enterprises are closing due to the indiscriminate opening of imports and the collapse of consumption as a result of the fall in wages and pensions, not a single new job will be created. He emphasized that the massive mobilization must be followed by a general strike on the day the bill is debated in Congress, since «there is no other way to stop this attack on the most vulnerable than on the streets». ATE points out that the labor reform affects not only all public bodies governed by the Labor Contract Law, but also the monotax system, which is intended to «perpetrate fraud» in the national state as well as in the provinces and municipalities. This protest action also demands the immediate reopening of collective bargaining with an «urgent» wage adjustment and to reject the government's attempt to cut the public sector workforce by 10%. The rally will begin at 13:00 at the corner of Diagonal Norte and San Martín. In Buenos Aires, public administration workers began to cease tasks and leave their workplaces from noon, and will then join the march to the Casa Rosada. Aguiar also commented on the strong support for the reform from Minister Patricia Bullrich. On Thursday, the Association of State Workers (ATE) reported that adherence to the national strike exceeded «93%», which it described as a «record» compliance across the country. ATE announced a massive demonstration against the labor modernization project promoted by the ruling party. «This reform does not solve the crisis in the world of work, it aggravates it,» Aguiar stated. «They intend to expropriate all the rights of workers.» During the strike, only minimum guard services will be guaranteed in hospitals and only emergency care will be provided in assistance centers for children, adolescents, and older adults.
