ARGENTINA
General strike challenges IMF austerity plan
By G.
Dunkel
Millions of Argentinean workers went out on a 36-hour
general strike Nov. 23-24. They shut down businesses, schools,
banking, transportation and even soccer matches.
Cops arrested 34 strikers. One striker in the northern
province of Chaco was shot dead and another was grievously
wounded by a motorcyclist who claimed to be upset that burning
tires had kept him from crossing a bridge.
All three major labor confederations in Argentina, even the
government-allied General Confederation of Workers,
participated in the strike. It was called on only 10 days
notice, which indicates the anger of the working class.
The country has been in a serious economic recession for
over two years. It has a 15 percent unemployment rate.
On Nov. 25 the government announced it was willing to
negotiate with the unions over its deep cuts in wages and
social security, increased taxes and a five-year spending
freeze. The International Monetary Fund demanded this austerity
package as a precondition for granting Argentina a $20 billion
bailout to pay the interest on its $125 billion international
debt.
Argentina Labor Minister Patricia Bullrich said the
government was willing to negotiate with unions but there were
"guidelines on what could be discussed." Argentina's foreign
debt and pegging the peso to the dollar "were not up for
discussion," Bullrich said, indicating that further struggles
lie ahead.
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
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