“The measure was a success. It’s a wake-up call to the authorities to find a course to rectify the damage their measures are inflicting on society,” said Héctor Daer, co-chair of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT, for its Spanish initials), at a press conference on Monday. According to the union leader, there was massive support for the second general strike against Javier Milei’s policies.

The government described the strike as “political,” to which Daer responded that “the strike had the social support and, above all, the political support to carry it out. We’re discussing the direction of the country and what policies are being carried out, and all the actions that are damaging the social fabric of our country.”

“The government has to take note. It must take note of what this means and change its austerity politics, which are taking us to the extreme,” Daer said from the CGT headquarters. “Far from being sustainable, it’s taking a lot of us, from many social sectors, to the extreme. It will be extremely difficult to recover if these policies are implemented.”

“The strike hurt them,” said Pablo Moyano, CGT co-chair and head of the powerful truck drivers’ union when asked about criticisms made by Security Minister Patricia Bullrich. The minister sent a direct message to the union leaders: “Stop screwing around and go to work.”

For the truck driver leader, the measure was forceful and sent a message to the government of Javier Milei. “The people judged it today. The rejection [of austerity] is growing, the mobilizations are growing. People have opened their eyes. Many people who participated and went on strike voted for him,” said Moyano, adding that if the current economic policies continue, the CGT will continue to organize strikes against the government.

❌ Paró la Argentina #ParoNacional #LaPatriaNoSeVende pic.twitter.com/0BOuEiRaeh

— CGT (@cgtoficialok) May 9, 2024

Originally published in Ambito