Subway workers protest to halt service starting at 9 p.m.

Starting at 9 p.m., subway and pre-metro workers in Buenos Aires will suspend operations in all lines to protest against the labor reform promoted by the Milei administration.  The protest was decided by the Subway and Premetro Workers’ Union (AGTSyP), as explained in their press release signed by Nstor Segovia, the union’s general secretary, and Virginia Bouvet, the organizing secretary. “The AGTSyP supports the mobilization and stop of operations against the labor reform that the Javier Milei administration is trying to impose,” states the press release. The surprise protest comes on the heels of the debate of labour reform at Argentine Senate, a session that began on Wednesday at 11 a.m. In that same statement, the union made it clear that they consider the labor reform “a deep setback in the rights of workers.” The halt of services will continue until the end of shift, at 11.30 p.m. The labor reform The proposal includes more flexible working hours, changes to salaries and severance pay, and financial benefits for companies. The goal of the bill is to disencourage labor lawsuits and to simplify contracts to promote employment. This includes lowering employer taxes, as well as lowering financial controls and giving other benefits to those who formalize their employees. Other changes that would be introduced by the bill are a dynamic salary, meaning income would be tied to productivity, as well as a national fund to cover severance payments, meaning employers would no longer have to pay them in full themselvevs. It also introduces the concept of hours bank which means employees could voluntarilly agree to extend their shifts and, instead of receiving an overtime payment, the extra hours they worked would be used to shorten future shifts. Workers could work up to 12-hour-shifts under that system.