The general strike taking place in Argentina this Thursday (9), called by the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), could cost the country’s economy US$544 million, estimated the Institute of Economics of the Universidad Argentina de la Empresa (UADE) .
The amount is equivalent to 24.3% of the financial volume that would be produced on a normal working day in the country, according to preliminary data from the study, which was published by the newspaper Scope.
“This calculation assumes that not all sectors and regions will lose equally during the strike and that even 20.1% of what was initially lost could be recovered within the month”, states the newspaper based on the report.
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Public transport, airports, businesses and services responded to the CGT’s call and joined the 24-hour strike in protest of the Javier Milei government’s economic policies. One of the most important sectors in the country, the agro-industrial hub, is also inactive.
Ports and grain processors in the Rosario region, an important agro-industrial hub in Argentina, are 100% closed. “There are no problems or disturbances, but everything is closed,” said the president of an Argentine agricultural entity.
In its study, UADE highlights the particularities of losses for each sector. For them, commerce will be able to recover part of the day’s losses, but services and industry less so. “Most of the negative impact is on the manufacturing industry and the construction sector,” says the newspaper.
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Losses in the airline sector alone, with the shutdown of airports, could result in a loss of US$62 million due to the cancellation of around 700 tourist flights, the Latin American and Caribbean Air Transport Association reported to Clarin.
“Yo no stop”
The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, target of the strikers, mocked the union movement. In a montage posted on social media, he altered the print of a t-shirt to add the phrase “Yo no paro” (“I don’t stop”).
Another message posted on the social network X said that the “true workers” would work this Thursday, while the “caste and its supporters” would paralyze.
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This is the second general strike that the country has gone through since Milei took power five months ago. According to local media, public transport is severely affected, with few buses available to the population. Schools also opened, but many teachers were absent.
