Updated 16:20, May 2

Transport workers’ unions across Argentina will hold assemblies on Monday morning, but will not go on strike, the Argentine Confederation of Transport Workers (CATT) has confirmed.

The clarification comes after Juan Carlos Schmid, CATT’s Secretary General, said during a radio interview on Tuesday there would be “problems with transportation on May 6.”

The strike was expected to affect air travel, maritime transport, subways, and trains.

“On Monday, May 6, between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., there will be [union] assemblies in the work sectors of all forms of transport,” CATT wrote in a statement. “These assemblies in no way represent direct action measures or a work stoppage.” It added that each union within the federation would decide what action to carry out and, if necessary, communicate the decision.

Schmid told El Destape Radio that the federation was moving in response to the fiscal and labor reforms in President Javier Milei’s omnibus bill, which the Lower House approved on Tuesday. If approved by the Senate, the reform would reduce the income tax threshold. “Income tax created conflicts with every government, with Cristina [Fernández de Kirchner], Alberto [Fernández] and now,” he said. 

The federation opposes the omnibus bill as a whole, because it affects the constitutional right to trade union’s liberty. Schmid warned that “there will be clashes if the fiscal bill affects workers’ pockets again.”

This measure comes amid several protests in Argentina against the omnibus bill. On Monday, oilseed and maritime workers launched an open-ended strike in response to the labor reforms. Nationwide marches will take place to mark International Workers’ Day on May 1 and the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) called for a general strike against the omnibus bill on May 9.