On January 24, local time, Argentina’s major trade unions, left-wing organizations and civil economic organizations held a 12-hour nationwide general strike to oppose various new policies promulgated by President Milai after taking office. According to Argentina’s local maritime agency NABSA, Argentina’s strike on January 24 affected the operations of all ports.
This is Argentina's first nationwide general strike since May 2019. Organizers said that a total of 500,000 people participated in the protests across the country, including 100,000 police personnel and 40,000 government workers. Banks, hospitals, buses, garbage collection, postal services, ports and commercial aviation unions have all joined the general strike. Argentina's largest airline, Aerolineas Argentinas, has canceled 295 flights, affecting about 20,000 passengers.
According to a report on the website of Spain's El Pais on January 24, the General Confederation of Labor estimated that 80% of its members (about 5 million people) nationwide complied with the strike initiative. The union also estimated that 600,000 people took part in the march in Buenos Aires, while 1.5 million marched across the country.
In addition to the strike, the protests also included a demonstration in front of the Capitol. The demonstration was jointly organized by the Argentine Confederation of Trade Unions, the Central Confederation of Argentine Workers, and the Civilian Economic and Labor Union. Organizations such as the Truck Drivers Union, the Construction Workers Union, the National Civil Service Union, the Workers' Socialist Movement, and the Workers' Party also participated in the demonstration.
In front of the Parliament Building, the marchers asked Congress to reject the "Necessity and Emergency Decree" and the "National Reform Bill" promulgated by the government in December last year. Both are currently under consideration in Congress, which provide for the modification or abolition of regulations on different economic sectors. of 366 laws.
After Milley took office as president, he launched a series of "shock therapy" reform measures aimed at saving the economy in order to reduce the fiscal deficit and control inflation. The new policy includes reducing the number of government departments from 18 to 9, reducing government subsidies for energy and transportation, and stopping bidding for new public projects. The new government also devalued the official exchange rate of the Argentine peso from approximately 400 Argentine pesos per U.S. dollar to 800 Argentine pesos per U.S. dollar and relaxed import controls.
After the introduction of a series of new policies, prices in Argentina rose sharply. Argentina's National Institute of Statistics and Census released a report on the 11th saying that the country's inflation rate reached 25.5% in December 2023, and the cumulative inflation rate in 2023 reached 211.4%, both setting the highest record since 1990. Economy Minister Caputo said that Argentina's inflation will remain at a high level for some time to come.
