In a document published on the occasion of International Workers’ Day, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT)’s National Governing Board rejected President Milei’s “brutal austerity plan” and underlined that there is no “sustainable or consistent economic program”.
Under the title “In defense of labor, social, retirement rights and of our trade unions system”, the text reads:
“Every May 1 is a call for the memory of all those who preceded us in the fight for workers’ rights and who had the courage to get organized to win and defend social and labor rights. It is also a celebration, for each social gain that us workers achieved along our history and that made possible a regulatory framework that guarantees labor dignity. It is a day for demands, for the needs that should be cared for and repaired.
Today, when all social, labor and retirement rights are threatened, it is a day to defend our social gains and acquired rights. We are going through dire times, as a country and as a society. The national government, in the name of so-called “free market”, is carrying out a brutal austerity plan that hurts the lower and middle income sectors and retirees, especially. Liberated prices of food, medicines, energy and essential services, and salaries reduced in their purchasing power. The Minister of Economy blocked collective bargaining agreements that would adjust salaries according to inflation; recession and unstoppable increases cause a drop in productive activities and the indexes of basic consumption show a huge transference of resources to privileged and concentrated sectors of the economy. A drop of 31% of the budgets for pensions, a 87% drop in public works, 39% cutbacks in subsidies for transport, 76% drop in remittances to provinces, 18% cutback in universities and 13% in social programs: these are just a few indicators that show that the austerity plan will not be based on cutbacks on the political class, but it will fall on the working class’ shoulders.
Meanwhile, the government does not offer a sustainable or consistent economic program, it has no optimistic horizons ahead. It is a government without any social dialogue, that just makes business with friends, that insults workers and their organizations, despises retirees who don’t have any time to wait, disregards vulnerable sectors, defunds public health care, education, science, technology and culture, while the capital value of small and medium size companies and businesses decreases, making structural poverty raze our communities.
Facing this urgent scenario, once more, the workers’ movement, organized in the General Confederation of Labour, is united and standing. Us the workers confirm our commitment and our right to participate in the design of the society we long for. For this challenge, we call all social actors and institutions for creating a multi-sector program that moves forward to an Argentina of Development, Production and Labor, inclusive and with equal opportunities for all”.
Also, CGT published a document called “Agenda for a new social contract. For a country with development, production and labor”, in which it proposes different initiatives concerning labor, education, health care, industrial policies, social security, international politics, national defense, energy policies, environmental protection, transport, finances, fiscal reform, foreign trade, federal joint participation, fight against poverty, security and housing.