The new CGT leadership, headed by a triumvirate, begins a week of internal meetings to define its position on the labor reform project pushed by Javier Milei's Government. Leaders like Octavio Argüello harshly criticized the initiative, calling it a flexibilization that attacks workers' rights. The Government defended the project, assuring it will not remove rights.
The General Confederation of Labor (CGT) entered a key phase with its new leadership, elected in a congress where the majority list obtained 1604 delegate votes. The triumvirate consisting of Cristian Jerónimo (Glass), Jorge Sola (Insurance), and Octavio Argüello (Truckers) will serve until 2029, amid internal tensions and the challenge of maintaining union unity. The Union of Motor Vehicle Workers (UTA), led by Roberto Fernández, left the central after the elections, but the new leadership bets on reincorporating it to strengthen the labor front.
This week, the Executive Council will hold its first meeting, preparing to evaluate dialogue with the Government regarding Javier Milei's labor reform project. Argüello, in statements to Radio Rivadavia, launched strong criticisms: "Let's call things by their name. This is not a reform or modernization. This is labor flexibilization. One thing is to modernize [...] but that does not mean they want to take away our rights and lead us to slavery." He warned that, in the face of advancement without consensus, the CGT will act in Congress, the courts, and the streets, recalling previous actions against DNU 70/23 and limits on the right to strike.
The Government responded by defending the initiative. Deputy Luis Petri, future Defense Minister, stated that "it will not remove rights," in the context of a Congress reconfiguration that benefits the officialism. Argüello also accused the Executive of being "a disaster" that attacks the labor movement, health, people with disabilities, and retirees, attributing the reformist push to influences like the US Embassy and the IMF. The CGT insists on the need for dialogue but hardens its stance: "If there is no dialogue, there will be streets."
This positioning reflects the decisive moment for the union movement, which seeks to preserve labor gains in a scenario of economic and political pressures.