Senate approves Mileis labor reform amid police crackdown on protestors

The Argentine senate approved President Javier Milei’s labor reform early Thursday with 42 votes in favor and 30 against following a 12-hour debate. It will now be sent to the lower house for final approval.  The bill is being touted as an instrument to improve job creation by making labor conditions more flexible, cutting down on severance pay, and giving financial benefits to employers, among other things. Outside Congress, a large security operation saw security forces crackdown on protestors showing their opposition to the bill. According to human rights organization Comisión Provincial por la Memoria, at least 31 people were arrested and many others were injured or affected by tear gas.  Demonstrators were forced to leave the area at around 4:30 p.m., and at least 15 people remained in custody as of Thursday morning. An additional 70 people were momentarily detained but later let go after police verified their identities. At least two photographers were arrested during the crackdown. The Herald was able to confirm one of them was released around midnight on Wednesday. The second, Nicolás Viñas, was released on Thursday morning.  In an interview with news channel C5N, he said he was arrested while covering the march. Viñas added that he was ordered to stay at least 500 meters away from Congress and not leave the country until the charges are dropped. He was charged for allegedly resisting authority and attacking security forces. The reform The labor reform modifies existing laws that regulate labor conditions and how unions operate. Some key changes it proposes are the following: Severance pay: amount calculated for employees fired without cause will exclude any extra income, like bonuses, paid vacation, and the thirteenth salary (known as aguinaldo). The base number for calculation cannot surpass three times the average salary for the position. Currently, calculations are based on the employees best monthly payment. The final amount, which has no maximum limit, includes all additional sources of income of any type — including those made off the books.  “Hours bank:” the maximum shift length in Argentina is currently 8 hours per day, or 48 hours per week. The reform opens the door to changes, as employees could “voluntarily” agree to work extra hours in exchange for docking those house off future shifts. They would not receive overtime pay. Workers could work up to 12-hour shifts under that system, but would still be required to keep a minimum 12-hour rest period between shifts (the latter is a norm already in place). Labor negotiations: the law would allow companies to conduct labor and wage negotiations directly with their workers overriding general sector agreements. Unions in Argentina traditionally represent all workers from any given sector, allowing them to grant the same rights and benefits to their affiliates all across the country. Sick leave: employees who have an accident or get sick outside their work place — for example, an injury while playing a sport — will suffer sick pay cuts. Salary haircuts for non-risky activities will be 25%; in the case of risky ones, the cut will climb to 50%. Union activities: workers will have to request permission to carry out union assemblies at the work place. Affecting the activities of employees who are not taking part in the assembly will be considered a sanctionable offense.