General strike disrupts Argentina amid IMF bailout

BUENOS AIRES

A nationwide general strike led by Argentina’s largest labor unions disrupted transportation and economic activity on April 10 in response to President Javier Milei’s austerity policies.

The strike was a protest against Milei’s plan to reduce public spending, pensions and education funding, aimed at stabilizing the country’s economy. While the government says the measures are necessary for economic recovery, critics argue that they have led to higher unemployment and increased poverty.

The strike coincided with Milei’s negotiations for a $20 billion bailout from the International Monetary Fund. While the IMF supports the fiscal reforms, opponents claim they disproportionately affect lower-income citizens while benefiting investors.

The strike, which marked the third general walkout during Milei’s administration, reflects growing dissatisfaction with his policies.

Airlines were forced to cancel hundreds of flights due to the impact on airport operations, and public transport systems and ports also came to a halt.

Protests were held in Buenos Aires and other cities, with demonstrators calling for fair wages and the end of austerity measures. Pensioners participated in the protests, demanding higher benefits in light of the budget cuts.

A peaceful demonstration in the capital Buenos Aires preceded yesterday's walkout — the third general strike in budget-slashing Milei's 16-month-old presidency, and called by unions to protest his brand of "chainsaw" austerity.

Milei had famously wielded a live chainsaw during his presidential campaign to symbolize the cuts he would make to the bureaucracy and social spending.

In office, he has slashed subsidies for transport, fuel and energy, fired tens of thousands of public servants and shuttered entire government departments.

The measures have reduced inflation and resulted in Argentina's first budget surplus in over a decade, but also tipped the country into recession and millions more people into poverty in the first months of Milei's government.