Tomorrow, Tuesday Sept. 25 will see a national strike paralyse the country. The strike has been organised by the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) in protest of the drastic austerity measures and President Mauricio Macri’s decision to take out a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The strike will have a profound effect on the country with all transport services and infrastructure affected, reported Perfil. No colectivo buses, metro or long-distance buses will be functioning, and neither will banks nor the majority of airlines.
Which groups are taking part in the strike?
Camioneros Transporte (the colectivo buses of the Automobile Transport Union, or UTA)
Companies that depend on the UPCN (Union of the Nation’s Civil Personnel), ATE (Association of State Workers) and CTA (Argentine Worker’s Central Union).
Subte (Metro)
Shoe shops
Food shops
Bakeries
Long-distance buses
SMATA (Union for Transport Mechanics in Argentina)
Banks
Planes (Except FlyBondi)
Textile Industry
UOM (Union of Metal Workers)
Press
Business
Rubbish Collection
Ports
Political coalition group Cambiemos have declared their opposition to the strike, saying that “the only thing it is trying to do is attack the Nation’s strategic interests and the constitutional government which easily won the elections of 2015 and 2017.”
#BuenLunes para rechazar con toda la fuerza un #ParoGeneral mafioso que lo único que busca es atentar contra los intereses estratégicos de la Nación y contra el gobierno constitucional que ganó ampliamente las elecciones del 2015 y 2017. #FuerzaCambiemos #MM2019 pic.twitter.com/0IhWMTqajR
— Álvaro Zicarelli (@alzicarelli) 24 de septiembre de 2018
However, Roberto Baradel, head of the CGT, tweeted his support of the strike, declaring that even on Monday 500,000 people were protesting on the streets “to slow down the governmental measures and hunger.”
Este ajuste brutal en contra de los trabajadores, solo lo vamos a frenar los trabajadores.
Por eso hoy 500.000 trabajadores estuvimos en las calles.
Por eso vamos a frenar el ajuste.#ParoGeneral pic.twitter.com/yTm3oidjaZ— Roberto Baradel (@RobiBaradel) 24 de septiembre de 2018
This is the fourth general strike since President Mauricio Macri came into office. Argentine citizens are afraid that Macri’s drastic measures will not be enough to save the country from an economic collapse similar to that of 2001.
