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Argentina’s Lower House Backs Milei’s Labor Overhaul as Nationwide Strike Shuts Services

Milei casts the changes as vital to formalizing work and attracting investment in an economy with extensive informality.

Overview

  • The Chamber of Deputies approved the bill 135–115 after an overnight debate, sending the amended text back to the Senate for a final vote.
  • The package would make hiring and firing easier, cut severance pay, extend probation periods, curb strikes and lawsuits, lengthen the workday to 12 hours, and change holiday and leave rules.
  • Lawmakers removed a disputed clause that would have halved pay for non–work-related sick leave before advancing the measure.
  • The CGT-led 24-hour strike halted transport, banks, schools and other services, and protests outside Congress saw tear gas, water cannon, rubber bullets and arrests, with unions claiming roughly 90% adherence.
  • Maritime workers staged a 48-hour stoppage affecting cargo at Rosario’s port, while Milei—traveling in Washington for U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace event—defended the bill as necessary to cut informality and draw investment.