By: Vive Caba Editorial Staff
The run-up to the general strike called by the CGT is experienced with the intensity of a game of legal chess. In the last few hours, the Ministry of Human Capital, under the management of Sandra Pettovello, launched a direct administrative offensive against two pillars of the labor movement: the Unión Tranviarios Automotor (UTA) and the La Fraternidad railway union. The order is clear: refrain from any measure of force.
The “conciliation” strategy as a barrier
The Government’s argument is based on the validity of the mandatory conciliation that both unions maintain due to previous salary conflicts. According to the official portfolio, joining the general strike would imply a violation of these legal norms. However, behind the legal technicality, an obvious political intention appears: to weaken the impact of the protest against the labor reform promoted by Javier Milei’s administration.
This maneuver raises a dilemma about the nature of union rights. Can a previous sectoral conflict nullify the constitutional right of a worker to adhere to a general force measure? For the ruling party, the answer is yes; For the unions, it is an attempt at discipline that seeks to guarantee that the City does not come to a complete stop, reducing the visibility of the social claim.
The impact on the Buenos Aires pulse
For the inhabitant of Buenos Aires, transportation is not just a service; It is the circulatory system of the City. A bus and train strike guarantees the effectiveness of any general strike, simply because it makes it impossible to travel to work. By intimidating the UTA and La Fraternidad, the Government is betting on fracturing the unity of the protest and ensuring that, at least partially, the urban rhythm is not broken.
Despite the warnings and possible sanctions, the UTA has already expressed its decision to adhere, describing the labor reform as a «curtailment of rights.» This position leaves workers and users in the middle of a legal and logistical gray area that will be resolved in the coming hours on the streets and stations.
A tension that does not give way
The official decision to apply pressure through injunctions is read by various analysts as a hardening of the official position towards the labor movement. Instead of channels of dialogue on the critical points of the reform, the answer seems to be the use of administrative tools to limit the expression of discontent.
In this scenario, the City of Buenos Aires is heading towards a day of uncertainty. Between official statements and union ratifications, what is at stake is something deeper than a day without transportation: it is the struggle for the scope of social protest in a context where labor rights seem to be at the center of a dispute that has just begun.
