Overview
- Argentina’s main unions led a 24‑hour nationwide stoppage that shut banks and schools, halted most buses and subways, canceled hundreds of flights, and limited hospital services to emergencies.
- Deputies are debating the Senate‑approved labor package with a vote expected late Thursday, and any revisions by the lower house would trigger a final Senate decision before the bill can become law.
- The proposal would ease hiring and firing, lower severance costs, expand the definition of essential services to curb strikes, lengthen allowable work hours, and tighten holiday provisions.
- Outrage over a last‑minute clause halving pay for non‑work‑related medical or injury leave has prompted talk of an amendment and injected uncertainty into the vote count.
- Unions argue the overhaul will deepen precarious work in a country where roughly 40% of workers are informal, citing reported job losses near 300,000 and a manufacturing slump, while a separate 48‑hour maritime walkout is slowing cargo at Rosario’s port.