Argentine Universities Begin 24-Hour Strike

Mobilization in defense of Argentine public universities, Oct. 16, 2024. X/ @gkatopodis

October 17, 2024 Hour: 8:41 am

Currently, 70 percent of professors and administrative staff earn salaries below the poverty line.

On Thursday, the National Interuniversity Council (CIN), professors’ and workers’ unions, and student organizations will hold a 24-hour strike in defense of Argentina’s public universities.

Besides demanding salary increases and a larger university budget, the national strike aims to oppose the latest decisions made by the Chamber of Deputies, which approved President Javier Milei’s veto of the university financing law.

Next week, university communities will also carry out other protest actions such as vigils, classes in public spaces, roadblocks, and the occupation of faculties, university offices, and pre-university schools.

“There are no negotiations of any kind with President Javier Milei’s administration. This lack of dialogue is a very serious problem because it shows the breakdown of the democratic pact in Argentina,” said Carlos De Feo, a member of the National Federation of University Teachers (CONADU).

El movimiento estudiantil en las universidades de Argentina es un ejemplo de cómo enfrentar a la derecha.

Con asambleas masivas en cada facultad, en unidad con el personal docente y no docente, con los sanitarios en lucha y los jubilados.https://t.co/ofHNZHc48p

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— Pablo Castilla (@PabloCastilla00) October 17, 2024

The text reads, “The student movement in Argentina’s universities is an example of how to confront the right. The struggle is taking place with massive assemblies in each faculty, in unity with the teaching staff and administrative staff, with health workers and retirees.“

Currently, 70 percent of professors and administrative staff at Argentine universities earn salaries below the poverty line. This is happening due to the economic policies implemented by Milei.

For this reason, starting next Monday, the Argentine University Federation (FUA) and university teachers will stage a 48-hour strike to demand negotiations that acknowledge the specific conditions of university workers and offer a solution to the severe salary situation.

On Wednesday, the far-right Milei administration began spreading narratives to justify possible repressive actions against those protesting in support of universities. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said that the demonstrators aim to provoke uprisings “in the Chilean style,” meaning protests involving Molotov cocktails and other forms of violent action.

However, the response from the university community was once again felt with the peaceful occupation of more than 80 buildings across the country, reported the newspaper Pagina 12.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Argentina: The National Universities Union Front announced a 24-hour strike after the Chamber of Deputies endorsed President Javier Milei's veto, overturning a law that guaranteed the budget for the current year of higher education institutions. pic.twitter.com/6QSh8eT7I9
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 11, 2024