Four months into his tenure, Javier Milei’s government is facing its second general strike in Argentina.

The Board of Directors of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) has decided to intensify the struggle against the national government’s economic policies.

After meeting with representatives of the national government, the Board of Directors of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) decided this Thursday to intensify their plan of action and call for a new general strike, the second under Javier Milei’s mandate. The strike will take place on Thursday, May 9th, a date that was set this afternoon during the meeting at the historic headquarters on Azopardo Street.

Yesterday, CGT leaders attended the Governmental Palace to talk for more than two hours with the chief of staff, Nicolás Posse; the Minister of the Interior, Guillermo Francos; and the Secretary of Labor, Julio Cordero. The labor union was divided into two positions. One advocated for the urgent need to call a strike, which they proposed to carry out next week; and a more dialogue-oriented sector with the government had proposed to do it after May 1st, the date commemorating Labor Day. Before yesterday’s meeting, this was the majority position.

Those who took part in the summit between the CGT and the Executive say that the national strike was one of the aspects least addressed. Union leaders wanted to know how the government would proceed regarding the ratification of collective agreements (Teamsters still couldn’t ratify the agreement with the chambers because it exceeds the inflation target) and the prospects of the economic program.

Although both parties acknowledge that the dialogue was fruitful and that the government sought to resume talks after months without contributing mediators, the breaking point was the confirmation that the Secretary of Labor (with the permission of the Ministry of Economy) will continue not to ratify agreements above inflation.