The Argentine president repeats several times that he has already fired 50,000 public employees, although official figures available indicate that the number of dismissals was close to 10,000 until recently. What is certain, however, is that since last week, thousands of public servants have learned of his dismissal. According to the presidential spokesperson, 15,000 people have been laid off, while 55,000 contracts are currently being reviewed.
According to research carried out by the ATE union, these dismissals do not appear to be the result of a methodology linked to seniority in the position. An example of this is the dismissal last week of Lucas Berengua, a technician at the national meteorological service, after 21 years of loyal service to the agency.
National social security agency offices closed
This is just one of the many cases that, taken together, are leading to the dismantling of the Argentine State. This is what ATE’s general secretary, Rodolfo Aguiar, denounces: “Behind every dismissal there is a tragedy for the worker and his family, who find themselves helpless.
But in the face of this wave of mass layoffs, these individual tragedies turn into social tragedies, because behind every public employee job that disappears, there is a public policy that is dismantled. Public services will be severely affected and, in the end, it is people who will lose their rights,” he told RFI.
And the best illustration of what Rodolfo Aguiar is talking about is certainly Anses, Argentina’s national social security agency. Dozens of the agency’s local offices have been closed, including in remote areas, and 1,300 of its employees have been fired since Javier Milei came to power.
