ON JANUARY 24 Argentina’s first general strike in over five years brought to a standstill the capital Buena Aires and many large cities and towns including Cordoba, Rosario, San Miguel de Tucuman, Mendoza, Mar del Plata and Bahia Blanca.

Reports from the three main Argentinian union federations led by the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) say over 400,000 strikers took part in a demonstration in Buenos Aires alone.

The CGT were backed by the CTA-T, (Argentine Workers’ Central Union) and the CTA-A (Argentine Workers’ Central Union (Autonomous),) which together represent millions of public- and private-sector workers in education, transport, construction, manufacturing, healthcare and energy. 

The strike is historic as for first time in recent history the country’s three major union confederations were united in joint industrial action. The strike was also supported by the Union of Workers of the Popular Economy (UTEP) including street vendors, agricultural workers and others from the informal sector.

Walkouts began at noon through to midnight, with passenger transport workers commencing strikes at 7pm in Buenos Aires and surrounding areas to provide a daytime service to facilitate striking workers’ access to and from the plaza in front of the Argentinian congress, where debates were continuing over the Javier Milei’s far-right economic reform package, described by none other than Nigel Farage as “Thatcherism on steroids.”

Unions say these reforms will destroy employment rights, damage the economy and democracy and leave workers vulnerable to exploitation.

On Wednesday afternoon, CGT’s secretary-general Hector Daer told the crowd outside the congress that Milei’s decree “destroys individual rights of workers, collective rights and seeks to eliminate the possibility of union action at a time in which we have great inequality in society.”

Pablo Moyano, of the transport union, said: “If they pass these measures of adjustment, of hunger, then the workers, retirees and the most humble people will put him [the Economy Minister Luis Caputo] on their shoulders and throw him in the river.”

Solidarity demonstrations with Argentinian unions took place in Madrid, Brussels, Paris and across Latin America and messages of support were sent by the International Trade Union Congress, global trade union confederations including Uni Global Union, IndustriALL, the European TUC and the British TUC.

In a message to international unions and supporters Argentinian unions issued a statement saying: “Thank you very much to all! We are very moved by so many demonstrations of international solidarity! It has been a great day of fighting, sooner rather than later we will win! We will remain united around the common destiny of those who work in dignity.”

Government ministers dismissed the strike as being organised by “millionaire oligarchs with bullet-proof cars and chauffeurs” and described the strikers as “mafioso unionists” and said they would not be deterred in bringing forward their economic reforms. The question is where the unions go next — and whether the united front will hold.

Tony Burke is co-chair of the Campaign For Trade Union Freedom.