‘The impoverisher of the workers’: Massive mobilisations in Argentina against Milei

In a massive demonstration of unity, trade unions, social movements and human rights organisations filled the Plaza de Mayo on Thursday, December 5th in the framework of a Federal Day of Struggle. Called by the CTA, various unions and popular organisations, the mobilisation demonstrated the rejection of the economic and social model of Javier Milei's government.

Laura Vales, in a column in Página 12, pointed out that the demonstration was the result of three months of talks between opposing sectors that seek to assemble a ‘collective subject’ to confront the libertarian government.

The leaders of the event, such as Hugo Yasky and Hugo Godoy, accused Milei of perpetuating a model that enriches the elites while poverty and indigence increase. Yasky pointed out 'that the owners of economic power are plundering Argentina's wealth while the workers are denied their bread' and are further impoverished. For his part, Godoy denounced that the big financial corporations ‘sustain a system that plunders the national wealth at the cost of our anguish’.

The document read in the Plaza, shared by Indymedia Argentina Trabajadoras/es, condemned the suppression of the social rule of law and the advance of neoliberal policies under the pretext of the ‘Zero Deficit’. The organisations pointed out that these measures represent an attempt to blackmail in order to dismantle social justice and submit institutions to the interests of the International Monetary Fund.

Although the CGT did not officially participate, some of its unions were present along with social organisations such as the UTEP and the ‘curas villeros’, who carried out an ecumenical prayer in defence of the community canteens and retired people. Human rights leaders such as Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and Taty Almeida also joined in, denouncing the austerity policies as an attack on memory, truth, and justice.

The police deployment, supervised by Minister Patricia Bullrich, included checkpoints and dissuasive manoeuvres that, according to a report in Página 12, sought to intimidate the demonstrators, especially women picketers. 

The protest reflected the breadth of sectors affected by government policies, from teachers and state workers to family farmers and university students. José Testoni, head of the Santa Fe CTA, said: ‘The resistance is there, but there is a lack of a clear political solution. Even so, we must continue to mobilise to prevent resignation from taking hold’.

The day was seen as a milestone, more so in a year marked by large mobilisations against the far-right government. According to Radio Gráfica, the organisations reiterated their commitment to social justice and announced new actions to keep the resistance alive and build a more inclusive and supportive Argentina.

It is worth noting that during Javier Milei's government, poverty in Argentina reached 49.9% of the population, around 23 million people. Meanwhile, indigence rose from 11.9% in 2023 to 12.9% in the third quarter of this year, revealed the most recent study by the Observatory of the Argentine Social Debt of the Universidad Católica Argentina (ODSA-UCA).

Seguel Alfredo is a researcher, founder of Mapuexpress, communicator of El Ciudadano covering the fronts of Indigenous Peoples, Environment and Human Rights.

*Photo: El Ciudadano