Overview
- Nationwide demonstrations led by postdoctoral fellows and CONICET staff took place on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, with a lane of Avenida Santa Fe in Palermo blocked and police containment producing several incidents.
- Protesters demand immediate restoration of the Unión Personal health plan, effectivización of contested CICYT positions, and prórrogas for about 375 postdoctoral fellowships that organizers say face non-renewal.
- CONICET says it cannot legally or financially create or extend fellowships without specific budget appropriations and offered a one-time allocation to let members choose alternate coverage, a proposal protesters call insufficient.
- Workers report concrete harms from the health-plan collapse, including suspended services in some regions for up to two years, higher co-pays, interrupted treatments, and loss of medical coverage for many becarios.
- Organizers warn the dispute risks a generational rupture in Argentine science after sustained cuts and job losses since December 2023, and they have called a follow-up protest for the CONICET directorio meeting on July 15, 2026.