In Argentina, mobilizations are increasing to protest against the “ austerity shock » put in place by Javier Milei in order to drastically reduce public spending. Yesterday, public service unions mobilized across the country.
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With our correspondent in Buenos Aires, Théo Conscience
Gathered under stifling heat in the center of the Argentine capital, union representatives from different sectors of the public service warned of the “ dismantling of the state » engaged by Javier Milei: “ Let them tell the community what their intentions really are: to shrink the State to favor businesses and so that society is articulated by the market and no longer by the State. »
“ Helicopter escape »
Gabriel is employed at the Ministry of Culture. He is worried about the wave of privatization promised by the new president, who presented a bill to pass 41 public companies into the hands of the private sector: “ Those who experienced the 1990s already know what happens when you privatize everything. It ends with a social explosion and a president fleeing by helicopter, which is what happened here in Argentina in 2001. »
Civil servants also denounce their growing precariousness: while prices jumped by 25% in December, their salaries were frozen and the government launched a wave of massive layoffs, recalls Pablo Spataro of the CTA union: “ More than 30,000 civil servants are threatened with dismissal. In certain sectors, such as Justice or Culture, it has already started massively with more than 2,000 layoffs. »
General strike on January 24
Public service unions will participate in the general strike planned for January 24 to protest against the vast package of ultraliberal reforms that Javier Milei sent to Parliament.
Javier Milei in Davos: short trip, small team and tight schedule
It is this Wednesday, January 17 that the new ultraliberal president of Argentina Javier Milei presents himself to the economic and political elites in Davos, the first international stage for a leader whose personality intrigues, and whose foreign vision questions, between ” values » trumpeted and pragmatism. Short trip, small team and tight schedule because “ I received more than 60 requests » interviews, and “ I am not able to physically respond to such a request »: Milei himself set the limits of his Swiss stay this weekend.
Expected Tuesday evening in Davos, he must address the World Economic Forum Wednesday afternoon, to leave Thursday in order to be back Friday at dawn in Buenos Aires. Where his real urgency awaits him: to advance in Parliament his mega-train of deregulatory reforms, the “ omnibus law » with more than 600 provisions far from being all guaranteed approval. Milei’s official agenda only confirmed, on Monday, a bilateral in Davos: that with the director of the IMF, Kristalina Georgieva, in the wake of the agreement for the disbursement by the Fund of 4.7 billion dollars , as part of the Argentine debt restructuring program.
(With AFP)
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