Original article: “Nos quieren joder”: trabajadores estatales argentinos convocan a paro nacional contra la reforma laboral de Milei
In a strong rejection of the labor reform proposed by the government of Javier Milei in Argentina, the Association of State Workers (ATE) has called for a national strike on Wednesday, November 19. The action, which includes a mobilization to the Ministry of Labor, was unanimously decided in a federal plenary of delegates from across the country and marks the first significant union response following the midterm elections.
Amid rising tensions, ATE’s national secretary, Rodolfo Aguiar, vehemently criticized the administration of the so-called «libertarian.» «Workers do not need to wait to read the fine print to know that they want to mess with us,» he stated in a message shared on social media. He emphasized, «We cannot wait until the parliamentary changeover. We must start facing this reform in the streets now.»
Aguiar accused the government of employing unfair debate tactics. «Threats, organized lies, and discrediting trade unions are the means the government has chosen to discuss this legislation. After this, they shouldn’t say we don’t want to engage in dialogue,» said the union leader.
Reduction of Rights and Dismantling of the State
Beyond the specific articles of the reform, which will be formally announced after December 10, ATE warns of a strategy aimed at dismantling the state’s regulatory structure.
«We will mobilize to the former Ministry of Labor because, in order to facilitate the subsequent removal of rights, they already seek to adapt the country’s maximum labor authority for that purpose,» Aguiar explained.
«They are attempting to dismantle entire areas, specifically those related to oversight or territorial agencies, to impose new rules that render employers unaccountable,» he stressed.
The Salary Crisis: The Trigger for the Strike
The strike not only serves as a protest against an unfolding labor reform but also against a current economic reality that, according to the union, is untenable. «After 23 months of Milei, the public administration has entered a salary emergency,» declared Rodolfo Aguiar.
The leader painted a bleak picture for public employees: «Every passing day, dual employment affects an increasing number of public workers who can no longer cover basic needs or maintain their households with dignity.»
This emergency is substantiated by the figures from the latest salary negotiations. The period from June 2025 to May 2026 started with a government offer that ATE completely rejected: cumulative increases of 1.3% for June, July, and August; 1.2% for September; and 1.1% for October and November. «So far, all of these increases have fallen short of the price evolution published by Indec,» highlighted the union, comparing the raises with a monthly inflation rate of 1.6% in June, 1.9% in July, 1.9% in August, and 2.1% in September.
Critical Points of Milei’s Labor Reform
According to information obtained by ATE, the project that the government of Javier Milei plans to present in Congress after the legislative changeover on December 10 would include deep changes to current legislation. Among the anticipated points in the initiative are: extending the workday to 12 hours; payment of severance in installments instead of a lump sum; work agreements by company rather than by activity, thereby weakening sectoral collective bargaining; and wage increases tied to productivity.
This is not the first time that Milei’s reforms have led to a direct clash with unions. In January 2024, just one month after assuming the presidency of Argentina, a court suspended the labor reforms outlined in his «megadecree of necessity and urgency» (DNU) following a challenge posed by the CGT labor federation. On that occasion, the judiciary questioned the «necessity» and «urgency» of measures that, among other things, extended the trial period from 3 to 8 months and reduced severance pay.
The ATE strike on November 19 marks the start of a new labor offensive that, in the context of a profound deterioration in purchasing power, threatens to escalate social conflict in the final months of 2025.
“This action must serve to strongly challenge the possibility that all labor rights are annihilated under the disguise of modernization, but also to force the government to reopen negotiations and remedy the serious damage done to salaries,” Aguiar concluded, making it clear that this battle is for the present and future of Argentine workers.
