Many detained during protests against labor reform in Argentina

By Asiye Latife Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) - Many people were detained during clashes on Wednesday between demonstrators and police in Argentina as protesters opposed a labor reform bill proposed by President Javier Milei’s government.

Thousands of people gathered in Congress Square in the capital Buenos Aires at the call of labor unions. Tensions erupted when the crowd attempted to march toward the Senate building, where the labor reform was being debated.

According to local media, security forces used tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons to disperse protesters who threw stones at police.

Many people were dragged away and detained during the clashes, while four police officers were reportedly injured by thrown objects.

After hours of unrest, police cleared the area around Congress Square and implemented extensive security measures.

The protests were supported by the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), one of the country’s largest unions, along with various political parties and social organizations.

Soledad Mosquera, the general secretary of the Teachers’ Association for Secondary and Higher Education (ADEMYS), told Spanish news agency EFE: “The government wants to sell this labor reform as modernization, but it is clearly a setback for all workers and will mean complete slavery in terms of working conditions.”

Juan Carlos Giordano, a deputy for the United Left Front, also told EFE that what is being debated is a “pro-business, slave-like labor reform.”

- Labor reform bill

The bill mainly proposes establishing a Labor Assistance Fund (FAL) to cover severance payments, revising the calculation of those payments, revising overtime compensation rules, and restricting the right to strike.

Argentina’s current labor law dates back to 1974, and in recent decades every attempt to reform it has faced strong social resistance.