Sawt Falasteen - Protesters, police clash at protest over Milei labor reform

As lawmakers debated plans unions say will make jobs more precarious, demonstrators gathered outside Congress to make their opposition known.

A few dozen, many hooded and masked, clashed with police blocking access to the parliament building in a show of anger that was soon put down.

AFP witnessed injuries to one police officer and one protester, though an official toll has yet to be made public. Media at the scene estimated that at least 20 people were arrested.

The reform, a pet project of budget-slashing President Javier Milei, envisions a deregulation of the labor market.

The measures would make it easier to hire and fire workers, reduce severance pay, limit the right to strike, and restrict holiday rights.

Milei insists that existing labor laws are too restrictive and discourage formal hiring. He wants the reforms adopted by March.

Almost 40 percent of Argentine workers lack formal employment contracts.

- 'Exploitative' -

If approved by the Senate, the reform will next head to the Chamber of Deputies for approval.

"Today we are here to decide whether we remain trapped in a statist, corporate, and patronage-based system that has driven away investment, destroyed jobs, and impoverished millions of Argentinians," Joaquin Benegas Lynch, a ruling party senator, said during Wednesday's debate.

But for protester Federico Pereira, a 35-year-old sociologist, "with this exploitative labor reform, they are only thinking about the wealthy. Those who benefit are the bosses."

Since taking office in December 2023 with a plan to revitalize Argentina's struggling economy, Milei has dramatically reduced government spending and spurred deregulation.

Opposition parties and unions dispute that the reform will create new jobs.

They point out that the economy shows persistent signs of stagnation, marked by declining consumption and industrial activity.

Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva vowed that those responsible for Wednesday's violence "will be identified" and punished appropriately.

"They are dozens of members of leftist groups who acted in an organized manner, with premeditated violence and improvised weapons to... sow chaos. They will pay," she said on X.

M.AbuKhalil--SF-PST