A growing hunger: Argentina’s soup kitchens battle Milei’s spending cuts
Al JazeeraFeb 29
Argentina: Trade Unions Strike Against Milei's Reforms
Image copyright: Lucas Aguayo/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Large Argentine trade unions engaged in a 24-hour strike Thursday, bringing transportation and other services to a halt in protest of libertarian Pres. Javier Milei’s sweeping reforms.
Many streets were unusually empty, while key bus, rail, and subway lines were closed after workers walked off the job. Hundreds of flights were canceled, and many parents kept their kids from school while teachers took the day off.
The Spin
Left narrative
Through successful strikes, workers can show their unity in opposition to Milei’s austerity plan, which poses a dangerous threat to Argentine workers, and his “shock therapy” measures that threaten to roll back important labor and environmental protections. The people are rejecting the government’s policies and Milei’s right-wing extremism.
Right narrative
Milei took over a country in the depths of unprecedented economic and political turmoil, and he's already turning it around in six months. Once a beacon of Western excellence, Argentina was driven to a societal nadir due to leftist regimes, but Argentina is enjoying the start of a promising recovery. Milei’s market-based reforms are saving Argentina.