Overview
- Police and a small group of masked demonstrators traded stones and Molotovs for tear gas, rubber bullets, and water cannons outside Congress, with at least two people injured and roughly twenty arrests reported by media.
- The Senate took up President Javier Milei’s labor “modernization” bill, and the executive signaled confidence it has the votes to pass it and move it to the Chamber of Deputies before March 1.
- The proposal would ease dismissals, lower caps on severance, restrict strikes by expanding what counts as essential services, and allow vacations to be split.
- The CGT and allied groups mobilized against the plan, while Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva vowed to identify perpetrators of the violence and accused organized left-wing groups of premeditated attacks.
- The administration argues deregulation plus lower employer social charges will help formalize an economy with over 40% informal jobs, as unions and opposition cite stagnation and nearly 300,000 formal job losses since December 2023.