Milei scores major win as labor reform becomes official law

Updated Friday 11 p.m. President Javier Milei scored a major win on Friday as his signature labor reform became official law following a vote in the Argentine Senate on a number of changes deputies had made to the bill last week. The final tally was 42 votes in favor of accepting the modifications, 28 against, and 2 abstentions. Although the reform had already been approved, senators were legally required to vote on the changes to complete the legislative process.  The General Confederation of Labor (CGT, for its Spanish initials), Argentinas largest trade union federation, said the reform “breaches historical constitutional guarantees” and confirmed that it will take the matter to court. On Monday, they are set to march to Plaza Lavalle, the square in front of the Judiciary, to show their support for legal actions against the reform. The vote put an end to a turbulent day, as lawmakers debated for more than 11 hours while police and protestors clashed on the streets outside Congress.  In Friday’s session, the upper house also lowered the criminal responsibility from 16 to 14. The provision had already been approved by the lower house after unexpectedly being added by Milei to the Congress agenda following a series of crimes committed by minors over the summer. The motion ended with 44 votes in favor, 27 against, and 1 abstention. Labor reform changes The reform changes existing legislation that regulates workers rights and duties in order to make them more flexible. This includes extending trial periods and introducing the option for employers to eliminate overtime pay and pay salaries based on employees productivity, among other things. The main change voted by senators on Friday was the elimination of an article that limited the sick leave employees have the right to be paid, cutting their salaries between 25 and 50% when the injury or disease was unrelated to their jobs. Ruling party La Libertad Avanza (LLA) had agreed to eliminate the article in order to get the lower house opposition on board. LLA senators, however, have said they will attempt to pass a bill specifically targeting the issue of sick leave pay throughout the year to target what they called abusive absences. Workers with serious and incurable diseases would not see their salaries cut. The labor reform is extraordinarily important. Each company and worker will be able to negotiate labor conditions within their workplace, LLA senator Patricia Bullrich said as she entered Congress on Friday. Each province will be able to adapt labor conditions according to their productivity. Union contributions will be limited, so unions will have to be austere. Protests outside Congress On Friday morning, police could be seen in the streets trying to push back protesters attempting to get to the Congress building. Security forces used tear gas against activists from social movements and political parties that began making their way to the building early in the morning. Although at some points police managed to move protesters in order to allow cars to keep moving, the streets continued filling up ahead of the session. Past noon, police managed to kick out most of the organized protestors from the square. Protests against the labor reform also included a 24-hour strike on Friday carried out by several unions, among them the State Workers Association (ATE, by its Spanish initials), metal workers union UOM, and workers from the oil and cotton production industry. This senate session was the last one of the extraordinary sessions of Congress the government had called for February.  On Sunday, the president will give a speech to formally open the legislative year, a political tradition in Argentina that takes place on March 1. Milei is expected to celebrate recent legislative successes, such as the labor reform, the lowering of the age of criminal responsibility, and the Mercosur-European Union trade deal, which was approved by the senate on Wednesday.