Unions and different organizations have called for a rally on Wednesday to call for a stop to a decree of necessity and urgency imposed by the government of the far-right Javier Milei to begin the dismantling of the State. The march, which will take place in the midst of a large deployment of security forces, will bring together the main labor federations of Argentina, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) and the Central de Trabajadores de la Argentina (CTA), as well as social, political and human rights organizations in front of the headquarters of the Judiciary and the Supreme Court of Justice of Argentina. in Buenos Aires.
The different sectors convened from eleven o'clock in the morning, local time, appeal for "unity" to stop the decree of necessity and urgency (DNU) published in the Official Gazette a week ago. The text imposes more than 300 reforms in one fell swoop that, among other things, repeal laws, eliminate dozens of state regulations, enable the privatization of public companies, open the door to operations in dollars and kick off the labor market and the health system. The decision is being questioned from Congress, the judiciary and in the streets by those who consider it "unconstitutional."
Decrees of necessity and urgency are exceptional mechanisms that allow the Executive to enact or modify laws to deal with an urgent matter that cannot wait for debate in Congress. The government has taken refuge in the fact that the country's situation – with high levels of inflation and poverty – is "very complicated" and merits this measure, which is unprecedented in the country due to its magnitude. However, many sectors consider that the president is arrogating to himself legislative powers by imposing hundreds of reforms without a debate in Congress and question the "necessity and urgency" of some points of the package.
The decree will go into effect this week. Congress can reject it with a majority vote in each of the Houses. But if only one of them approves it, the decree is valid; if it's not treated by one as well. While this is happening, another way to stop it is the judicial one: more than a dozen injunctions have already been filed, according to the Telam news agency, and this Wednesday the CGT will also file a lawsuit against the mega-decree.
"The objective is that the DNU does not continue to run," Héctor Daer, secretary of the CGT, announced on the eve of Wednesday's march. Attendees will mobilize at noon from Plaza Lavalle, in the center of the Argentine capital, to the Palace of Courts, a few meters away, to present the brief at the entrance table. In parallel to the judicial strategy, the unions have also held meetings with opposition deputies and senators to broaden their positions against the decree. Organizations are "measuring the thermometer," they say, and defining their strategies prudently.
The first reactions against the DNU sounded after Milei read some of the measures on national television a week ago. Outraged neighbors expressed their rejection by banging pots and pans from balconies in different parts of the country and hundreds of them marched to the doors of Congress, in Buenos Aires, to defend rights won over decades. After the Christmas recess, demonstrations of repudiation resumed. This Tuesday, in the city of Buenos Aires alone, there were two rallies in front of Congress where slogans such as "Up with rights, down with the decree!" were heard.
"We're 16 days into the government and they've already held three marches," Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said Tuesday. From the Executive, they suggest that the objective of the mobilizations is to "destabilize" the Government. Last week, the minister launched a protocol to prohibit demonstrations from blocking streets and routes, one of the most common forms of protest in Argentina, and on Wednesday she again deployed a strong operation around the rally to control the streets. Bullrich stands by his threat: "He who makes them pays for them."
The maxim of the Minister of Security is seconded by another of the Minister of Human Capital, Sandra Pettovello, who repeats: "He who cuts does not get paid". The head of this portfolio, which brings together the competences of the former ministries of Education, Social Development and Labour, thus refers to the consequences that could have the beneficiaries of state aid who block the streets. There is no shortage of reasons to protest: in addition to the decree that scraps the state and the directives given by Bullrich and Pettovello to control the protests, there is a strong adjustment, announced by the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo.
"We come from a complex situation and we can't make adjustments to the people," criticizes Dina Sánchez, assistant secretary of the Union of Workers of the Popular Economy (UTEP). The trade unionist points out that in the popular neighborhoods "there is a lot of disillusionment" because the government's austerity "was brutal" for the most vulnerable sectors. "There was no adjustment for the businessmen or for the judiciary," he says. The trade unionist assures that the objective of this Wednesday's protest is not to destabilise the government but to stop a DNU that she considers "disastrous" and takes away "conquered rights". "The situation calls for unity from all sectors," he said.
• Today we received in our Interbloc the leaders of the three trade union centres: Héctor Daer (CGT), Hugo Yasky (CTA de los Trabajadores) and Hugo Godoy (CTA-Autonomous). In addition, we had the presence of Taty Almeida, referent of the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo pic.twitter.com/orAgQnq4Qz
— UxP Senators (@Senadores_Todos) December 27, 2023
A possible plebiscite
Milei signaled the night before the march that he would not budge and maintained his defiance of Congress. If the decree is rejected, the far-right president said he will call a plebiscite. "Obviously," the president said in a television interview broadcast the day before. "Why would Congress oppose something that's good for people? Let them explain it to me," he said, later accusing lawmakers who "seek bribes" to cast their votes. "There's a lot of liveliness and delinquents going around," said Milei, who was a legislator before being elected president.
Although Milei obtained 56% of the votes in the second round of the elections, when he beat the Peronist Sergio Massa, he is in a minority in both chambers of Congress: in Deputies, the far-right has only 38 seats of its own out of a total of 257; in the Senate, eight out of 72. To achieve the transformation of the country he seeks, Milei will need to negotiate with other political forces. His party, La Libertad Avanza, is confident that he will succeed. The unions will meet again on Thursday to define "a plan of struggle". Also on the table is the possibility of going on a 24-hour general strike.
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