ATE joins march against Milei: pension adjustment is genocide

In a move seeking to consolidate a resistance bloc against the economic program of Javier Milei’s government, the State Workers Association (ATE) joined the protest day originally called by the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) for this Wednesday, July 22. The decision by the entity led by Rodolfo Aguiar not only strengthens the call but also seals a unity of action with the two branches of the CTA and the Union of Workers and Workers of the Popular Economy (UTEP), evidencing an almost total closing of ranks in the union and social spectrum.

The mobilization, which will have its epicenter at 3:00 PM in front of the National Congress, is presented under the slogan of “defending social security as an inalienable right.” The main focus is on the critical situation faced by retirees, who, according to the organizations, represent the sector most punished by the erosion of pensions and the fiscal adjustment promoted by the La Libertad Avanza (LLA) administration.

From ATE, the diagnosis of Milei’s management is damning. Aguiar, the union’s secretary general, was blunt in pointing out that the social truce that the sports calendar may have provided is over. “The government’s World Cup honeymoon is over, and workers are going to deepen our action plan. Government policies are causing genocide among our older adults. Right now, most retirees cannot guarantee their subsistence. They are dying,” the state leader said harshly.

The union’s demand is based on alarming data provided by the Ombudsman for the Elderly. While the current minimum pension stands at $411,989, the Basic Basket for Retirees — which includes housing and medications — already amounts to $1,824,682. This gap of more than one million pesos motivates the demand for an immediate increase in pensions and the restoration of full coverage of free medications. According to Aguiar, “today they have to choose between buying food or medicine, because they cannot do both.”

For the labor federations, this march is not an isolated event, but the initial link in a “phased struggle plan.” The lack of channels for dialogue with the Casa Rosada and the depth of the reforms by decree pushed the unions to seriously consider calling a new general strike, an alternative that is already openly admitted in leadership meetings.

For now, the conflict promises to extend: ATE has already announced that it will return to the streets on August 7 for the traditional San Cayetano march, under the demand of “Peace, Bread, Land, Roof, and Work.” Faced with an Executive that seems inflexible in its fiscal roadmap, the unions decided that the only possible response is direct confrontation in the public space.