San Francisco Frontiers - General strike to protest Milei's labor reforms starts in Argentina

The country's main trade union called the strike, which began at midnight local time (0300 GMT) and is set to last 24 hours.

The contested reforms would make it easier to hire and fire workers in a country where job security is already hard to come by.

It would also reduce severance pay, limit the right to strike, increase work hours and restrict holiday provisions.

The measure was approved by the senate last week and will now come before the chamber of deputies for consideration.

- Reforms spark protests -

The labor action comes as Argentina's economy is showing signs of a downturn in manufacturing, with more than 21,000 companies having shuttered in two years under Milei, who campaigned in 2023 with a chainsaw to symbolize his austerity intentions.

Unions say some 300,000 jobs have been lost.

Most recently, Fate -- Argentina's main tire factory -- on Wednesday announced the closure of its plant in Buenos Aires, prompting some 900 job cuts.

The company cited a loss of competitiveness due to what it said was an indiscriminate opening to imported products.

"We want to tell the government that the people did not give it their vote so it could take away their rights," Cristian Jeronimo of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) said on Wednesday.

The CGT's last general strike was on April 10, 2025, but adherence was uneven as workers in the public transportation system did not join.

This time, the federation, joined by transportation unions, hopes for a bigger impact.

Last week, thousands of people demonstrated in the capital Buenos Aires as senators debated the reform bill, and clashes with police resulted in about 30 arrests.

On Tuesday, the government issued an unusual statement warning reporters about the "risk" of covering protests, and announced it would establish an "exclusive zone" from which the media can work.

"In the event of acts of violence, our forces will act," a statement from the security ministry said.

Almost 40 percent of Argentine workers lack formal employment contracts, and unions say the new measures will make matters worse.

But Milei's government argues they will in fact reduce informal employment and create new jobs by lowering the tax burden on employers.

Milei will follow the events at home from Washington, where he will attend the first meeting of ally US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace."

V.Mitchell--SFF