ATE's secretary general doesn't want to acknowledge that he lost the election and that the people support Milei's government
In his closing speech, the aggressive ATE general secretary, Rodolfo Aguiar, stated: "Workers don't have to wait to see any fine print to know they're trying to screw us. We can't wait until the parliamentary changeover. We have to start confronting this reform in the streets right now," despite the fact that Milei's Government recently won the legislative elections with over 40% of the votes.
"Threats, organized lies, and the discrediting of union organizations are the vehicles the Government has chosen to debate this legislation. Afterwards, don't say we don't want to engage in dialogue," added the undemocratic leader.
Meanwhile, the general secretary of the Oilseed and Cotton Ginning Workers' Federation (FTCIODyARA), Daniel Yofra, announced that workers in the sector will also go on strike to "reject the labor reform" promoted by Milei's Government, and emphasized the need to "achieve union unity and carry out a plan of struggle."
The leader made these statements during the 74th Ordinary National Congress of the union organization, which was also attended by Abel Furlán (UOM), Rodolfo Aguiar (ATE), and María Fernanda Boriotti (FESPROSA). Despite having lost the elections by a wide margin and the Argentine people having decided to support the libertarian administration's reform plan, the union leaders agreed on "the need to intensify the struggle to stop the labor reform."
Although the labor reform promoted by the Government of Javier Milei has not yet been released, two combative left-wing unions have already announced protest actions in opposition to the initiative expected to emerge from the May Council, which aims to formalize "off-the-books" workers.
On one hand, the State Workers' Association (ATE) called for a 24-hour nationwide strike next Wednesday the 19th, accompanied by a demonstration at the Secretariat of Labor, located at Leandro N. Alem Avenue 650 (CABA), starting at 12 noon.
The measure was unanimously approved at a plenary session of delegates from across the country, under the slogan "rejection of the planned labor reform and demand for the immediate reopening of collective bargaining."
