Six general strikes in under four years. The call by the central CGT union (The General Confederation of Labor) for strike action on Wednesday 29 May marks the sixth strike since President Mauricio Macro (center-right) came to power in December 2015. The call to strike however does not seem to be particularly aimed at unsettling the government, which has made a number of commitments to the union movement. Yet the ongoing deterioration in economic indicators including inflation, job losses, and negative growth is casting a pall on the process of social dialogue with little leeway left in terms of social partner negotiations for this election year. With just five months to go before the presidential election, the outcome of which is highly uncertain, and with Mauricio Macri having promised to renew social dialogue with the trade unions and to progress with labor reforms, this latest strike move provides an opportunity to assess the social policy landscape as the current presidential terms comes towards its close.
In mid-May the central CGT union (one of three central trade unions in Argentina) called for this sixth general strike. Héctor Daer, one of the CGT leaders stated, “It is no more or no less than a measure of force in order to call for a change in the ever faster pace of economic recession that is hitting households and to find a way to kick start the economy on to a pathway for an inclusive country.” The trade union, which has had several meetings with IMF representatives stated, “With the IMF
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