During a national airline strike Argentina on Friday, more than 30,000 travellers were unable to get to their destinations. Along with fighting serious inflation, workers quit their jobs to demand higher pay. A foreign and local strike that lasted 24 hours caused 319 planes to be cancelled, impacting travellers from both countries.
Many travellers, including those going to the US and Europe, were caught off guard. They included 53-year-old Costa Rican expert Alex Rodriguez. Unfortunately, his trip to the well-known Iguazu Falls was ruined. “We arranged this trip three months ago. It was a long trip, and now everything is cancelled, he said.
An organization called the Association of Aeronautical Personnel (APA) planned the strike. Guillermo Brey, the group’s general secretary, says that flight staff have lost 40% of their spending power since President Javier Milei took office in December. In particular, Brey pointed out that flight crew make 729,000 pesos, which is about $730 using the official exchange rate, and ground crew make 500,000 pesos, which is a lot less than what some low-cost airlines pay.
In answer to the problem, President Milei is planning to call the aircraft industry an “essential service.” By doing this, a basic amount of service will be kept up during future strikes. Representative Manuel Adorni said that people who went on strike would be fined and punished.
Aerolineas Argentinas said the strike was “disrespectful” and “untimely.” They said the move was promoted carelessly by union leaders.
Extreme economic measures put in place by Milei’s government to fight Argentina’s high inflation have been criticized. Despite all of these attempts, the rate of inflation is still a shocking 236.7%. The economic slowdown caused by budget cuts has had a huge effect on the Argentine workforce.
Originally, Milei wanted to privatize Aerolineas Argentinas, but he had to take it off the list of companies that would be sold so that lawmakers could approve his economic changes.
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