In a joint committee plenary, La Libertad Avanza's officialism secured the majority opinion for the labor reform with 44 signatures, after removing the controversial Article 44 on sick leave. The opposition, led by Unión por la Patria, presented a counter-reform proposing shorter workdays and expanded worker rights. Meanwhile, the CGT called a national strike for February 19 in opposition to the bill.
On February 18, 2026, in the joint plenary of the Labor Legislation and Budget and Finance committees of the Chamber of Deputies, La Libertad Avanza bloc and allies including PRO, UCR, and others secured the majority opinion for the labor modernization bill pushed by Javier Milei's government. With 44 signatures, Article 44 was removed, which reduced sick leave payments to 50% or 75% depending on the case—a key concession amid allies' doubts about the text previously approved in the Senate.
The Labor Assistance Fund (FAL) remained unchanged, funded by employer contributions of 1% for large companies and 2.5% for SMEs, though it raises concerns over impacts on pension funding via SIPA. Business leaders like Rappi's Gabriel Buenos supported the bill, stating it 'interprets well the needs of platform workers,' while IDEA's Santiago Mignone saw it as a step to unite capital and labor.
In response, Unión por la Patria presented an alternative 'counter-reform' opinion aimed at reversing deregulations and expanding rights, including a progressive reduction of the workday to 7 hours daily without salary loss, holiday pay for monotributistas in categories A, B, C, and social, and a complementary social salary equal to 50% of the SMVM for informal workers. It also proposes extended parental leaves to 126 days, digital disconnection rights, and presumption of employment for app delivery workers.
The CGT, represented by Jorge Sola and Cristian Jerónimo, rejected the bill as a 'removal of rights' and confirmed the February 19 general strike, warning: 'The Argentine people will not forget those who betray the workers.' Nicolás del Caño from the Left Front criticized the rushed debate and tensions with Lilia Lemoine. Provincias Unidas, from seven districts, rejected Article 20 for centralizing labor registration, invoking constitutional federalism.
The modified bill must return to the Senate for final approval, with a session scheduled for February 19 at 2 p.m.
