Buenos Aires, capital of the workers’ anger
On Thursday, as the country celebrated International Workers’ Day, the streets of Buenos Aires were filled with noise that was not just festive. The CGT, Argentina’s largest union, marched towards the Casa Rosada with a clear message: “Patience is over.”
Behind the slogan, a labor reform that Milei managed to approve in February, despite weeks of protests and a national strike. The law allows days of up to 12 hours, extends trial periods and reduces strike rights. For workers, it is a slam of the door on decades of protections.
“We want to say enough is enough to this government. Patience is over, Mr. President,” said Octavio Argüello, leader of the CGT, between drums and banners.
The promise that deflates
Milei promised that his liberal recipe would tame inflation and attract investment. But the reality, according to Marcelo J. García, of Horizon Engage, is different: “The economy is not growing as solidly as the government thought. The majority of Argentines do not see the benefits.”
The numbers don’t lie: unemployment rose to 7.5%, textile production fell 30% year-on-year, and seven out of ten sewing machines are down. Since Milei took office, some 200,000 formal jobs have been lost.
Sergio Aguirre, a 51-year-old bus driver, sums it up like this: “We make it to the end of the month with overtime. Now they want to take that from us too.”
The pulse that never ends
The reform already faces a judicial process. The unions appealed and the case could reach the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the street continues to be the stage. Manuel Correa, 47, works in a textile factory that laid off 58% of its staff. “We will stay on the street until the government changes or backs down,” he says.
Milei, for his part, dismisses the criticism: “These are the atrocities that the media says.” But Thursday’s march was a thermometer of what is to come when promises collide with daily misery.
