The debate on the Omnibus Law continued on Monday in the plenary of commissions that took place in the annex of the Chamber of Deputies, with numerous speakers during a day in which the presence of Héctor Daer, one of the heads of the CGT, was highlighted, in addition to other union leaders who expressed their rejection of the initiative that the Government seeks to approve in the Lower House in the course of this week.
However, the most important thing at this time is to know if the ruling party will manage to reach the necessary votes to give half sanction to the mega DNU in Deputies, for which it needs a majority support of blocs that are expected to be allies such as the PRO, the UCR and Hacemos Coalición Federal.
In recent days, questions have arisen from the three spaces about the way in which President Javier Milei is addressing the National Congress. On Sunday, from the UCR and the PRO it had been the national deputy Rodrigo de Loredo and the governor of Chubut Ignacio Torres who criticized Milei, asking him to give names instead of accusing when he speaks of legislators who ask for bribes to sanction laws.
From the space led by Miguel Pichetto, they went out to cross the President. Photo: Fernando de la Orden.
This Monday, meanwhile, it was the space hosted by Miguel Ángel Pichetto that came out to cross the President through a statement signed by the 23 deputies of Hacemos Coalición Federal in which they expressed their "deep concern at the recent statements of President Javier Milei, for which he insists on confronting the National Congress by aggravating its members as well as the provincial governors."
And they added, in questioning the head of state, that "such an attitude is absolutely unacceptable and unfair, since Congress is working to give the government urgent legal tools to be able to face the crisis that Argentina is going through."
However, both the federal bloc, as well as the radicalism and the PRO, are emerging as possible allies of La Libertad Avanza to approve the so-called Omnibus Law. The UCR has 34 deputies of its own, the PRO another 37 and the bloc that was recently formed with 23.
Adding the 38 of the libertarians, plus some specific interblocs that could support the initiative, mileism would thus be guaranteed the half-sanction in a session that some even propose could be held on Saturday, if it is not arrived on time during the week. The opposition, consulted by Clarín, was unaware of this possibility.
Before moving forward with the enactment of the law, there must be an opinion in the plenary of the committee. Sources in the ruling party believe that they could achieve this on Thursday.
Union bosses promoted the strike of the 24th
In a long day of debate in the annex of the Chamber of Deputies, several union leaders were the main promoters of questioning the government of Javier Milei for the DNU that he is preparing to turn into law.
Héctor Daer, head of the CGT, was the most energetic in his rejection of the project. "When you propose to debate everything, you don't want to debate anything. The omnibus law must be stopped and the validity of the DNU in each of the Chambers must be abolished. The institutionality today depends on this house and that is why on the 24th we are going to say no to the law and no to the DNU," said Daer, one of the triumvirs of the workers' federation.
The union member also referred to the articles of the law. "Article 654 of the omnibus law speaks of the ratification of the illegal and illegitimate DNU. Chapter four does not attack privileges, it attacks individual and collective rights, and limits trade union action at the height of the country's vulnerability. It attacks regional economies and deregulates the private health system. We have to be at a key moment for our country and consolidate its democratic institutionality," he said.
Later, Hugo "Cachorro" Godoy, general secretary of the autonomous CTA, spoke. "There is no freedom if there is no equality, there is no freedom without democracy, there is no freedom without the sovereignty of the nation. Both the bill and the DNU sweep away these concepts. For this reason, we have called for a general strike on the 24th of this month with mobilizations throughout the country," said the leader.
In this Monday's presentation, which was chaired by the deputy allied with Milei, José Luis Espert, there were referents from different sectors of the economy, including also the leader of the UTEP, Alejandro Gramajo, another of those who promoted the mobilization next Wednesday 24, in this case, as a reference of the Popular Economy.
The main points of the Omnibus Law
Among some of the main changes promoted by the Omnibus Law, the following stand out, sent by the National Congress as part of the mea DNU that came into force at the end of last year.
The law suspends pension mobility and authorizes the Executive Branch to establish a formula for adjusting retirements and pensions and to grant discretionary "periodic increases, giving priority to the lowest-income beneficiaries."
It is also promoting an initiative that seeks to advance in the privatization of state-owned companies or agencies such as Aerolíneas Argentinas, YPF, AySA and Banco Nación, among others, in addition to the public media.
Milei is also promoting a broad political reform, with the elimination of the blanket list and a controversial decision in the Chamber of Deputies to move to a constituency system in which each voter will be able to choose only one candidate for the lower house.
Milei, when he announced the DNU with his cabinet, on national television.
Laundering is also encouraged that includes those who regularize undeclared assets up to US$100,000, who will not be taxed at all, while those who enter assets for more than US$100,000 in the last stage will pay a "special tax" of 15%.
A controversial point of the bill is the increase in withholdings on all agricultural productions to 15%. It increases the aliquot for soybean by-products (meal and oil) to 33%, which puts it on an equal footing with beans and eliminates the differential between the products. And all goods corresponding to the wine complex will pay an 8% withholding.
As far as social protest is concerned, there are other aspects that generated controversy, since the penalties for those who block streets are aggravated and prison becomes effective for those who receive the maximum sentence, of more than 3 years.
Regarding the foreign debt, meanwhile, the government is allowed to take it out in foreign currency, without maximum limits established by Congress or the authorization of legislators.