Thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Buenos Aires as the Senate debated President Javier Milei’s proposed labor reform. Social movements, unions, and workers denounced the bill as a “labor precariousness” law that would dismantle hard‑won rights, including the eight‑hour workday, by introducing 12‑hour shifts without overtime pay and extending trial periods up to a year. Protesters warned it would criminalize strikes and force workers to finance their own severance through a self‑funded dismissal scheme.
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#teleSUREnglish #Argentina #BuenosAires #Protest #WorkersRights #Solidarity
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00:00We go back to Argentina where people remain on the streets at this hour protesting the
00:05labor reform proposed by President Javier Millet at this hour, thousands of people are
00:12taken to the streets and at this moment are rejecting this decision, this labor that is
00:18going to flexibilize the reform already in place in Argentina that is going to have a
00:27negative impact for the working class of the nation that is also going to affect the
00:33most vulnerable sectors of the society, the low-income families as well. Let's
00:38recall that at this moment this is taking place, this demonstration is taking place
00:43as the Argentine Senate is debating this Millet's labor reform bill while workers
00:50are, as we were informing, if you are joining us at this moment of broadcasting we
00:54are seeing live images of Argentina of the capital Buenos Aires in the zone that
01:01is surrounding the Congress building in the capital of Buenos Aires I mean a
01:07strong security deployment there are reports as well of police repression of
01:13police brutality as well in this demonstration we can see in our images
01:18at this hour how there are also dozens of police forces of police members trying to
01:25halt this demonstration to also have a confrontation with certain groups of
01:31demonstration of demonstrators as well at this hour we are also in a moment in
01:39which the Senate is as we informed is debating this labor reform bill and the
01:45executive according to official information is confident it will secure the votes needed for
01:51this preliminary approval of the labor precariousness bill that is also happening
01:57following negotiations with the state governors but in contrast unions also social movements
02:05of working class in general are taken to the streets because they are sure that this labor
02:12precariousness bill is going to put the society in a vulnerable position is going to affect as well the most
02:20needed families as well of Argentina they are denouncing that this reform is also another of
02:29Malays policies that will impact negatively impact the most vulnerable and people and working class as well
02:38there was a group of people that were surrounding the congress square that were repressed by the security forces this is information
02:48preliminary information at this hour we can see as well that they are there are also they are are being attacked with water canyons at this hour
02:58also there are reports of the use of tear gas as well we can see confrontations this is the way in which the government responds to the demands of the
03:06people they do not listen to them but rather they attack them and they have confrontations and clashes within this
03:14this demonstration that they are nothing but a demand for this reform to be impeded to be halted as well this also we can see there are a group of demonstrators that are also advancing towards the police that they are also
03:24trying to defend themselves from the water canyons this is live images at this moment from Argentina as there is this social and political movement happening at the very same time in which the Senate is debating the
03:42the
03:48the
03:50the
03:52the
03:54the
03:56the
03:57the labor reform proposed by
03:59President
04:00Javier Millet's administration as well
04:02the Senate began let's recall debating the labor
04:06modern precariousness bill this Monday this
04:10my pardon this
04:12earlier today at a 11 a.m. local time
04:16and outside the general confederation of labor
04:20all the major unions are leading along with the general confederation of labor are leading this
04:26massive protest that have paralyzed part that have also been
04:32has its eyes of us of course as well the eyes of the world upon Argentina today
04:39because there is this situation this moment this demonstration is having its peak at this hour as there have been a huge demonstration a huge manifestation since very early in the morning this February 11th Wednesday February 18th
05:00today the reform is proposing as well
05:07that is going to I mean the demonstrators are also
05:12exposing
05:14how this reform is going to burn a day the righteous workers as well that were already damaged following all the decisions of neoliberal decisions being taken by Javier Millet that has left according to the
05:28statistics official statistics of the nation over 86,000 fewer jobs in six months and the layoff rate is reaching as well its highest level in a year this is information last minute information as well the Senate session is expected to go past midnight however there are at this moment demonstrators of
05:58protesters outside protesters outside the palace of Congress reacting as well and we can see massive police presence these have been reported through nationwide at this moment there is a strong police forces presence in the streets of Buenos Aires at this hour as thousands of people are gathering together to reject this decision to
06:05to go along this
06:12this
06:18this
06:32massive protest
06:33massive protest and also to accompany this is happening as the Senate is as we inform debating
06:39this
06:40this
06:41this
06:42this decision this labor reform that is going to be
06:45this is going to have a negative negative consequences for Argentina as well
06:51this let's recall happens in a context of English Javier Millet have his rating of approval have dropped
07:01dramatically as well following all of his decisions all of his statements as well all of his alignment
07:08with
07:09the
07:10hegemonic
07:11hegemonic
07:12stances of
07:14of the way of the Western Hemisphere powers such as
07:18the United States as well he let's recall has been prompting a division in Latin America as well
07:25he's been prising this attack that was performed against Venezuela on January 3rd he has been following closely all of the stances the political stances of of the current president of the United States of Donald Trump as well
07:48This is a reaction, a united reaction to the policies established by Javier Millet in this
08:01country that has also led to the massive repudiation of his administration for his lack of empathy
08:13of the most vulnerable sectors of the society, for his lack of empathy as well and also for
08:20the decision of this government of reacting against the peaceful demonstrations and for
08:26reacting as well for the calls, for his decision of not to listen to the needs of the Argentine
08:37people to also not be, not standing up with, not standing up with the real needs of the
08:49population and these times as well of in which the people is demanding at least to be listened
08:57and this is what is happening at this moment.
09:00If you are joining us in this broadcast at this hour you can see that it is, we are seeing
09:09live images at this moment from Argentina, there are clashes being recorded as you can see in
09:15the screens at this moment, there are clashes between police forces and demonstrators, the
09:23police forces are using water canyons against the demonstrators.
09:29There are also using tear gas canisters against the demonstrators as well.
09:36There is a massive demonstration taking place in Argentina as the Senate is debating one of
09:45the many neoliberal decisions of his administration such as a labor reform bill that is going to
09:53have a negative impact on the working class of the nation and is going to have a direct repercussion
10:01in the income of the Argentine society, in the income as well of Argentine workers.
10:07That is a sector that is a sector, the labor sector has been very hard, has been one of the most
10:13hardest hit by the decisions, the political decisions of this administration and let's recall
10:20that as well this has been a repeated image in Argentina, a repeated image of police brutality,
10:29of these, of trying, that is also trying to hamper the people's right to demonstrate.
10:37There were several initiatives proposed by President Javier Millet to affect and to hold and to undermine
10:46the people's right to express themselves through demonstrations, through massive rallies as well.
10:55There is, this is the signal of a society that is said, that is saying that enough is enough.
11:01It is a sign as well of a society that is, that has been coped with the lack of empathy of a government
11:10that is not respecting the rights of their population, the human rights of the population.
11:18And this is also a moment in, that has been repeated for several occasions.
11:24Because you must remember how every Wednesday, people also take to the streets for several years already,
11:34or for at least a year in Argentina, in which it became as a demonstration of the retirees of the nation,
11:48demanding better social security for them.
11:55And even them, they were beaten by police forces under the command of the defense minister, Patricia Bullrich.
12:05This is the reaction, the most repeated image that comes every Wednesday from Argentina.
12:12When people take to the streets, first began with the demonstration of the retirees of the nation,
12:21then we could see how many social movements and unions as well united with the retirees,
12:30and the elderly people of the nation, and accompany them to protect them from this police brutality that was taking place in the nation.
12:39And now there is a new moment, a new moment of social unity, a new moment for the unions to gather together,
12:52and to join themselves to find solutions, to find a way through the social mobilization,
13:00to hold the political decisions of the administration of President Javier Milley,
13:05that are going to have a serious impact in the population and in the well-being of the working class of the nation.
13:13This is what is happening at this hour. This is happening at this moment from Argentina, from Buenos Aires.
13:23We are seeing images. We can see an Argentinian flag waving among demonstrators.
13:29We can see that people are even uniting together in the very spots in which the police forces are repressing.
13:40In this very spot, people are gathering together and are facing together as well, facing this decision, this reaction from the police forces
13:55that are at this moment following the commands, the orders of the Minister of Defence of this administration of Javier Milley,
14:05and her name is Patricia Bullrich. This is what is happening at this hour.
14:10People, as we were informing, are gathering together, surrounding Congress, as the Senate is discussing at this hour,
14:18Javier Milley's Labour Reform Bill. Workers, social unions, social movements, and working unions as well, are all summoning,
14:31and are calling for this demonstration for a moment of unity in the face.
14:38And there are shots as well. You can see that the police forces are firing at the protesters perhaps with rubber bullets.
14:46They are firing at this moment. This is a crucial moment and is very dangerous, a very dangerous situation that has left in other occasions as well.
14:57Several wounded with very serious wounds as well. We can see the police that is barricaded at this moment in the midst of one of the most neuralgic avenues of Buenos Aires.
15:12We can see a barricades. We can see dozens of police forces, of police unions at this moment that are repressing with even firing at people with rubber bullets,
15:27with also water canyons, with also tear gas canisters, trying to halt this demonstration.
15:38But we can see that people are fearless at this hour. They are gathering together. There is also a barricade of demonstrators.
15:47They are joining at this very spot and they are also uniting at this moment to face this reaction from the police forces,
15:59to face this excessive use of force in a demonstration that was aimed to be pacific,
16:06but at this moment it has turned in clashes with certain groups of demonstrators at this moment.
16:15This is live images that come at this hour from Argentina as the Senate is discussing the labor reform of Javier Milley,
16:29proposed by Javier Milley, while workers are, we were informing, protesting outside the Congress Building in the Capitol,
16:39and made, as we can see, a strong police presence and a strong security deployment as well.
16:51The executive is confident that it will secure the votes needed for preliminary approval of the labor precariousness bill,
17:04following as well negotiations with state governors. However, unions and social movements are denouncing this reform bill
17:18as another of Milley's policies that will impact the most vulnerable population, specifically the working class of the nation.
17:31This discussion has been taking place since early in the morning in Argentina, in Argentina's capital in Buenos Aires,
17:41and there is due to be a resolution by midnight after these long hours of discussion,
17:48and as this is happening within Congress, this is also, this is the image of Buenos Aires at this moment.
17:58Framing these circumstances, we can see that there is a boiling point in this demonstration.
18:08In today's demonstration, we could see, we were witness of this response, this reaction from police forces at this moment against demonstrators.
18:21We could see that they were firing at them. They were also throwing water canyons on the demonstrators.
18:29They were also launching tear gas canisters at the protesters as well.
18:39Let's recall, let's talk about what is this proposal going to mean for the working class of Argentina.
18:48And one of them is that is going to, this is a shock, is considered as a shock therapy and also that is going,
19:00and a policy that is going to favour the financial oligarchy.
19:05It could represent, if past the end of the eight-hour day, leftist leaders and union social leaders are highlighting that the new,
19:16our banks allow for 12-hour shifts without overtime pay, essentially reverting to 19th century labour conditions.
19:29This is the main, the main aspect that is being rejected by the working class.
19:36The second class, and I repeat, this would mean the end of the eight-hour day and that would be translated as social movements are saying,
19:45the new hour banks that allow for 12-hour shifts without overtime pay, essentially reverting to the nation, to the 19th century labour conditions.
19:58Also, this would mean a hiring precariousness, which is the extension of trial periods, up to a year, is viewed as a way for companies to rotate employees perpetually without ever giving them permanent status or benefits.
20:21According as well to unions and also the social movements and the working class in general, this would mean a criminalisation of protest.
20:34If this law is passed, this would mean a criminalisation of protest.
20:41The requirement for minimum services, up to 75% in sectors, for example like health and transport, is seen as a de facto ban on the right to strike.
20:54A fundamental constitutional right, that at this moment was being violated by police forces under the command of Javier Mele's administration,
21:07under the command of Defence Minister Patricia Boebrecht.
21:11Also, what else does this labour reform propose as well? A law for the bosses.
21:20And what does this mean? It means the replacement of severance pay with a self-funded assistance fund that is described as workers paying for their own firing.
21:34This is why it would mean going back hundreds of years of labour, of labour activism, of the benefit of the working class in a society of the 21st century,
21:59that is going backwards again, back to the 19th century with these neoliberal decisions that are going to put all of those vulnerable sectors even way back to any possibility of real development in this context of geopolitical uncertainty as well,
22:26and amidst as well of an economic crisis that has driven the people of Argentina to go constantly, to take constantly to the streets, defending their rights, defending and exercising their constitutional right to protest,
22:45that is and has been for several decades, for several months as well, violated as well.
22:56What's the narrative? This mobilisation is led today by the Central Workers' Union, also has been protagonised by the working class of the nation as a whole,
23:16and the slogan is the homeland is not for sale. This is the slogan of today's demonstration, the homeland is not for sale, and also done with the decree.
23:33Also, there is a significant anger over Minister Borussia's anti-picket protocol. From a leftist lens, this massive police presence is viewed as a state intimidation designated to protect neoliberal interest from popular will.
23:55This is the image of Argentina at this moment. There is anger, there is also a willingness to keep defending the inherent rights as well.
24:09This is the moment in which Argentina is taken to the streets, is rejecting this decision. Let's recall that the Milay administration is seen as using the economic crisis as a shock therapy,
24:30small screen, small screen to implement policies that favour the financial oligarchy. This reform would mean, for example, the end of the eight hour day,
24:45in which also unions nationwide are referring that this new hours bank that proposes this reform, this labour reform,
24:59would mean 12 would be translated or would allowed for 12 hour shift without overtime pay, essentially reverting the nation back to the 19th century,
25:13and back to 19th century reform conditions and labour conditions as well. The hiding precariousness is another aspect of this reform that is troubling and is concerning as well,
25:27the working class of the working class of the nation and that is because the extension of trial periods that are now up to a year that would mean and would be up to a year according to this reform is viewed as a way for companies to rotate employees perpetually without ever giving them permanent status or benefits as well.
25:53This reform would mean as well the criminalisation of protest, something that Javier Milay has been trying to impose ever since he took office and it would also be a law for the bosses instead of a law for the working people that should be the ones benefiting from
26:22from a labour reform as well. Let's recall that the labour sector have been one of the most hardest hit for Javier Milay's neoliberal policy.
26:34If you are joining us in our broadcast at this hour you are seeing at this moment live images from the reformer square in which people are uniting and are gathering together to demonstrate against the labour reform proposed by the
27:04Javier Milay. We could see a few moments ago that there were clashes between the police forces and the demonstrators as well. Now it seems like these clashes stopped. However, it was a very dangerous situation in which as well there were firings from the police forces towards the demonstrators.
27:33They were also firing water canyons against them and there were also reports on the launching as well of tear gas canisters against protesters. This is the way in which the police forces, the security forces of the nation,
28:02react to this demonstration that is demanding nothing but the defence of the labour rights gained by the people of Argentina for decades and decades and now that Javier Milay is trying to revert all of those achievements, all of those social achievements of the nation that were gained with the strong defence of labour
28:31of labour activists as well and of labour activists as well and of previous governments as well such as that of Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner such as that Kirchner himself and we can see that there are still, there is again a moment of tension, a moment of clashes between demonstrators and police forces.
28:57We can see that police forces. We can see that police forces are at this moment reacting to this demonstration at this moment. We can see that there are barricades as well. They are launching objects as well to the demonstrators and this could be a very dangerous situation that is exposing the real
29:27nature of the real nature of the police forces of Argentina. It is exposing the real nature of the police forces of Argentina. It is exposing as well the way in which they are trying to hold a majoritarily peaceful demonstration. We can see an Argentinian flag that is waving right in the cross reactions, right in the middle
29:57of the cross and the ground. We can see that in the cross, right?
29:58And the first time we are trying to hold a moment. We can see that the people of Argentina are in other countries who are in the cross. We can see that the police forces of Argentina and the police forces of Argentina should be at the disposal of the needs of the people of Argentina but otherwise is there to react and to also try to hold this demonstration at this hour.
30:22let's recall that the argentine senate debates javier mille's labor reform bill while workers
30:32are as we were informing are protesting outside congress outside the congress building in the
30:40capital of buenos aires amid a strong security deployment let's recall that in this in this very
30:47context that the executive is confident it will secure the votes needed for a preliminary approval
30:54of the labor precariousness bill following as well negotiations with the state governors but
31:03unions and also social movements are also in are also saying that this labor reform cannot be passed
31:15because it's going to be a setback for the people of argentina in general for the working class in
31:23more in particular and also is going to have a negative impact in the most vulnerable sectors
31:30of the argentine society let's recall payroll employment contracted in november on a monthly
31:40and year-on-year basis with 86 000 fewer jobs in six months and the layoff rate reaching its highest
31:52level in a year and it precisely in this context and now we are going to have a telephone conversation
31:59a telephone contact with our correspondent in argentina belen de los santos she's there she's
32:07inside this demonstration and she's bringing up all of the latest updates of these demonstration taking
32:16place in argentina hi belen what can you share with us at this hour hello ale how are you exactly as you
32:25were saying we are here we i just stepped outside for like a block from where the major concentration is
32:31happening right now because the telephone signal is really bad at that moment there was some problem
32:38with the communications but at this moment the situation is the following there was an important
32:45concentration gathered by different organizations organizations from different sectors as you were
32:51saying concentrating in the congress square that is the square in bonafide right in front of the
32:58congress where the senate is debating at this moment the labor reform this is the first debate for the
33:08labor reform let's recall that this is a flagship project for the government of javier mille since he
33:15came into power he has been trying to install this possibility of passing a reform that will change
33:23the labor labor structure in argentina something of course very much resisted not only by the unions by the
33:30workers but by the working class in general because of the effects that it's going to have in a short and
33:38long term in terms of the work structure for argentina let's recall that this is a country that has an
33:46important strategy of an important social workers benefits that have been run over the decades and have been
33:56maintained by the demonstrations and by the pressure of the people in the streets time and time again
34:03neoliberal governments have tried to cut at this type of work structure that is common to the argentinian
34:13society that is the pension system the possibility of taking vacations the working hours the way in
34:20which the wages are earned and paid and this reform is targeting different aspects of that the way that
34:29the enterprises can hire workers and also the benefits and the rights of those workers that are at this
34:37moment defended by the current labor structure and that this reform is trying to affect so with that
34:47scenario in mind the unions the social organizations the political organizations have gathered themselves
34:54and summoned to the different sectors of the society in order to come to the congress and show
35:00outside of where this is being debated the pressure and the sentiment on the street of the different
35:08worker sectors that are against this type of reform being cast in this way and trying to show the
35:18negative effects it's going to have particularly on the working class the changes are numerous but the guiding
35:26sentiment of this reform is cutting away from the rights of the workers and the rights that defend them
35:35in the face of the larger powers that are the enterprises in the labor market trying to cut away at the power of the
35:44the collective union agreement for example that benefits the enterprises in what the government is trying to show or propose
35:56as a work equal peer-to-peer negotiation but we know that there is no peer-to-peer negotiation when you have
36:04the enterprise and the single worker it's the union of the collective agreement that have given the working class
36:13in argentina the social rights that it holds today and those are the rights that are being defended at
36:20this moment in the congress square we have seen some images of some first signs of police repression at this
36:29moment there is police effective at five meters from where i am talking to you right now they have been
36:37yeah surrounding the entire congress and also the streets leading up to the congress and this is underway right
36:46now at this moment the images were just of a specific event in the very front line targeting one group of
36:57incidents and the major situation in the square was of a call demonstration where many people were
37:05gathering even when this started people were saying in the square this has happened before and the people
37:13know that they need to stay where they are in order to continue to show their sentiments of rejection of
37:21what is being debated in the congress so we saw initial signs of repression but not a major repression
37:29at least up to this moment this can change at any minute of course we have seen the government of
37:35malay unleash severe repression against the people that have been peacefully protesting as it is the case
37:43right now as i was saying i was just there i have been for the past hours the situation was a
37:49peaceful protest the gathering of several different sectors of the working sectors also we've seen the
37:58the retirees those retirees that every wednesday such as today have been gathering at the same location as well
38:07also bell we are seeing on our screens at this moment there is an ongoing an ongoing police brutality
38:15on their way at this moment we can see as well that people in this spot of where this this reaction is
38:24taking place they are gathering together and i wanted to ask you why is it important for argentinians to remain
38:30united in these circumstances why is it important for argentinians to challenge police repression at the in
38:39these circumstances well i was just saying this was a very tense situation you were telling me that you see
38:48images at the images at this moment as i was saying i left the exact blog in order to talk to you i'm just one block away and
38:57many people are just moving faces so it's very possible that there are initial signs of repression and police brutality
39:06on the way at this moment it wouldn't be the first time formulae as i was saying this massive concentration of people
39:14taking place was peaceful it was a way of showing with musical instruments with their flags with their
39:23slogans with their chance that they were showing a concrete rejection of what was happening in the congress
39:31and of course that sentiment and that way for the people to protest peacefully what is happening in the
39:40congress is being met once again by police brutality by repression by intimidation it has been one of the
39:49ways in which the government of javier mille is trying to go against that popular power that for decades
39:59has been one of the strongholds of argentina's and specifically argentina's working class so
40:06what we see at this moment is what we have seen in many other cities the congress a peaceful protest
40:13that have seen many people come to this place the congress complete
40:22that is with a strategy of of repressing this movement and what is happening and what you're seeing
40:30on the screen is happening at this moment minute to minute you maybe see in which this repression is
40:37being unleashed it is not seems like we are having some technical difficulties while we were speaking to
40:48our correspondent in argentina at this hour belen de los santos she was giving us an insight from everything
40:55that is happening at this hour in buenos aires the people is on the streets the people is demonstrating
41:02against the labor reform that has been proposed by argentine president javier mille at this hour we can
41:09see there is a powerful deployment of many of police forces throughout the capital but most specifically
41:17surrounding the congress building in the heart of buenos aires at this hour in also we were seeing
41:25an on the way police repression that was trying to hold this demonstration that was attacking as well
41:32demonstrators with what it seems to be rubber bullets but they were firing at them we know how
41:39dangerous this situation could become for the civilians surrounding this demonstration the protagonist of this
41:48demonstration is the working people is the working class and they are demanding respect for the
41:55labor rights that the argentine people have and have been defending for decades and now they are on
42:01the streets thousands of them thousands of argentinians argentinians are at this moment mobilizing
42:07gathering together we can see how even in the spot in which these these clashes were reported and have been
42:14reported as we could see in our in our in our in our breathing that people were even gathering together in instead
42:27of backing up they were uniting through and in this very spot in which these clashes were taking place we
42:35could see also how police are barricaded and are trying to hold this demonstration let's recall that
42:44today the senate is debating the labor reform bill promoted by javier miller's government
42:52the ruling party is seeking its first legislative victory of the year with preliminary approval
42:59after months of intense parliamentary negotiations and having made a series of concessions to allied
43:08governors and also the unions the main unions of the nation which resisted several points of the bill
43:15in order to secure the necessary number of votes this is everything that is happening at this moment
43:26we were at this moment live to buenos aires argentina thousands of demonstrators are taken to the
43:33streets in the streets in the context as well in which there is an ongoing clashes or ongoing clashes with
43:40police forces and now with this last minute information from argentina we are going live now to venezuela
43:49with latest informations that are coming at this moment from the south american nation let's see
43:54we can see at this moment with the highlight of the day in which acting president desi rodriguez was held a meeting
44:12with the u.s secretary of energy christopher allen wright let's recall that we before we witnessed how he
44:21arrived earlier today at venezuela and he is said to have a bilateral encounter a meeting with acting
44:32president delcy rodriguez at this hour let's recall chris wright he is the highest ranking official from the
44:42trump administration to travel to the south american nation this visit comes let's recall in the context
44:51of venezuela's of venezuela's push to increase crude oil production to establish new energy partnerships
44:59and diversify its hydro carbon exports this is also coming in a context in which venezuela have
45:09been boosting the oil the the oil bilateral agreements with several nations and now the there is going to
45:17have to have to happen to have to happen a meeting between the acting president of venezuela delcy rodriguez
45:24and also u.s secretary of energy chris wright list to call that he arrived earlier today in venezuela he's the
45:34highest ranking official from the trump administration to travel to the south american nation this visit is
45:41coming as well in the context of venezuela's push to increase its oil production to establish new energy
45:50partnerships and also to diversify its hydrocarbon exports in the statements to u.s media outlet let's
45:57recall right he even announced that he was planning to visit oil fields and is is taking place as well this
46:06venezuela let's recall that is happening as a man as venezuela is holding the world's largest proven
46:11hydrocarbon reserves with approximately 303 billion barrels also this is all for the moment stay tuned
46:21with tell us to english for more informations on argentina on venezuela everything that is happening in
46:26latin america and the rest of the world by the end of the journey on that train and the arrival in moscow
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