The Argentine government is racing against the clock to secure agreements in the Senate with dialogist blocs to pass the labor reform in the last week of December, while Peronism explores ways to sabotage the government's project. The deadline is tight as Vice President Victoria Villarruel has only convened the bloc presidents for Tuesday at 11 a.m. to agree on the formation of the Labor and Social Security and Budget committees, meaning the debate could begin on Wednesday. The first challenge for the leader of La Libertad Avanza will be to secure a majority with her own members and allies in the two committees to issue a report and convince the dialogist blocs of the UCR, PRO, and provincial parties to shorten the list of invitees, as Peronism wants around a hundred leaders from different social sectors to speak to extend the debate on the labor reform. The scheme designed by the ruling party involves starting the debate in a joint committee session on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday if necessary, to issue a report and thus be able to debate it between December 26 and 30, along with the 2026 Budget. To do this, she will have to cut the list of invitees in half to finish the consultation round and sign the reports by Thursday or Friday, but she must also have an agreement with the dialogist blocs. However, to move this quickly, Bullrich must secure the three PRO votes, ten from the UCR, and at least three provincial legislators. The main problem is that many allies are Peronist governors who will not want to confront the CGT, such as the governors of Salta, Santa Cruz, and Tucumán. The expectation is to count on the support of the governors of Chubut and Neuquén, who each have one senator. The ruling party already knows it will not have the support of the former governor of Santiago del Estero and the governor of Catamarca, who remain within the Peronist bloc. In parallel, Peronism, with 28 legislators across its sub-blocs, is seeking seven senators to defeat the labor law and will pursue agreements with PJ governors, the same ones the ruling party is trying to convince to support this initiative. The CGT and CTA have called a protest for Thursday at 3 p.m. at Plaza de Mayo to reject the labor reform pushed by President Javier Milei. The reform not only contemplates changes to collective bargaining agreements but also to the system for collecting union dues, establishing that companies can only withhold contributions with the explicit consent of the workers. It also sets severe penalties for business groups when they take over a company or prevent entry to a firm. The project also states that assemblies require prior employer approval regarding the time, duration, and location, and that workers will not be paid during the assembly. Another point affects business chambers by establishing that special employer contributions to these chambers will be strictly voluntary. These changes, along with the elimination of ultra-activity and modifications to severance pay and vacations, are the main reasons for union rejection, prompting them to plan a fight beyond the December 18th march.
