A Buenos Aires mayor linked to the Massismo party cut state workers' salaries by 13%.

"A measure we have tried to avoid by making decisions that would affect only the political establishment, which were not enough." This is how Matías Nebot , mayor of the municipality of Saavedra-Pigüé, informed his residents of a decision adverse to his constituents: the 13% salary reduction of the municipality's state employees , with the approval of one of the two unions that represent them. In his message, he accused the municipality's coffers of being in a critical situation, and this Thursday announced that the measure would also apply to him.

Monday wasn't just another day for the residents of the municipality in the southwest of the province, and even less so for the permanent staff of the mayor's office, the state workers. Mayor Nebot, who has held office since 2023, a position he came to through the Todos por Saavedra party, a neighborhood party based on the Massismo movement , sat down at his desk, stood before the camera, and, standing right between the Argentine and Buenos Aires flags, said: "We want to inform you of the new measure we have decided on within the framework of the Municipal Resources Optimization Plan."

"As you know, since 2019, the district has been facing financial deficits, which have increased year after year and have put us in a critical situation that requires us to constantly take measures," Nebot stated at the beginning of his message to the people of Saavedra, whose main town is Pigüé (population around 15,000): problems with supplier payments and salaries.

The mayor continued: "We have been a very responsible government, thoroughly analyzing each issue and taking measures that should have been taken a long time ago, but that no one dared to take. On this occasion , the difficult decision was made to implement a salary reduction ." He commented before the House of Representatives that there were previous measures that affected " the political establishment, but they were not sufficient."

"This salary reduction will represent 13% of the salaries of all political officials. I want to thank the councilors of our political party, Todos por Saavedra, who also accepted this salary reduction, and I hope the opposition has the same commitment to the residents of our district," Nebot explained.

But this measure doesn't just affect what the mayor calls "the political establishment" (i.e., executive positions), it goes further: "With regard to municipal workers, we have presented the proposal to both unions. And I feel very happy and supported because a few minutes ago the Municipal Workers Union (STM) decided to approve our proposal." That is, that union accepted the salary cut for the state workers it represents. Nebot then urged: "I hope the AMRA union [the medical union] will do the same ."

"It's a tough decision, and we made it to avoid something more serious: not having the money to pay salaries and not being able to continue fulfilling our obligations to suppliers," the mayor concluded.

Nebot began his political career in the Saavedra-Pigüé district in 2017, where he rose to the position of councilor through the electoral alliance "1País," which included the GEN party (led by Margarita Stolbizer and composed of Nebot), the Frente Renovador (Renewal Front) (Sergio Massa), and Libres del Sur (Victoria Donda). In 2018, he created the neighborhood party Todos por Saavedra (TPS) , with which he contested the 2023 elections, defeating the Juntos por el Cambio candidate.

But this Thursday, Nebot came out to clarify that the general salary cut measure will also apply to him: "In the face of the slander from the media and from people who will have to respond legally to such lies, I want to make known to the entire community the decree that establishes the donation of 13% of my salary ."

He also clarified that salary reductions for municipal mayors cannot be declared unilaterally; rather , they must be approved by the City Council, as established by the Organic Law of Municipalities of the Province.

Thursday's clarification comes after Nebot traveled to La Plata to meet with the provincial Minister of Economy, Pablo Julio López , and the director of Banco Provincia, Sebastián Galmarini . "Various possible tools were evaluated to stabilize the accounts and continue guaranteeing essential services in this complex context," Nebot wrote on Wednesday, announcing his meetings in the provincial capital.

Meanwhile, the council blocs of the Radical Civic Union (UCR) and the Justicialist Party (PJ) issued statements announcing that they have submitted draft ordinances for the reallocation of budget allocations and the disenfranchisement of municipal resources.

And the clarification also comes after the powder keg that erupted in the municipality of Saavedra-Pigüé, home to just over 20,000 people. Since Monday, following a meeting held by the STM (Ministry of Labor), flyers and banners began circulating around the town.

"We are really tired of politicians coming every 4 years, usurping our house, bringing all their friends to live there for free and profit from their political positions . We are tired of everyone destroying the municipal budget . Of everyone having numerous executives who are impossible to pay. Of them using municipal coffers to travel around Buenos Aires or different places in the province of Buenos Aires, in municipal cars and with per diem that we all pay. We are tired of being the adjustment variable ," said the members of the STM, despite the fact that, according to the mayor, the measure taken by the municipality had the union's consent.

According to the same flyers, the mayor earns a monthly salary of more than 11.8 million pesos, so a 13% cut (just over 1.5 million) would leave him at $10,298,017.87 . The salaries of secretaries, undersecretaries, hospital directors, council members, the City Council secretary, hospital chief, street workers, maids, and nurses are also listed.

For example, a street worker currently receives 972,000 pesos in salary, but with the cut, it would fall to almost 846,000 pesos, the same as a maid. A nurse, the highest earner of all municipal employees, would earn just over 1.1 million pesos per month. After the meeting, representatives of the STM (Ministry of Labor) stated: "The intention was to highlight the salary gaps and support the request for a more significant reduction for senior positions ."

The truth is that the municipality of Saavedra-Pigüé has been discussing the issue of salaries for state employees , especially those in executive positions, for some time. One of the first criticisms Nebot received on social media came from a citizen: "I don't understand. You gave them a very high raise [to municipal workers] last year, but now you're giving it back. You don't know what to say anymore."

In May of last year , the STM (Ministry of Labor) had secured two salary increases in various categories. According to local media outlets such as Reflejo and Cambio2000 , the negotiations involved arduous negotiations in the Saavedra-Pigüé City Council, although it was more between municipal workers and officials holding executive positions than between representatives of the different blocs.

Exactly a year earlier, and under another administration (Gustavo Javier Notararigo, Radical Civic Union), another issue had been negotiated: municipal workers would accept a smaller salary increase if the salaries of the executive cabinet and council members were lowered. At that time (third week of May 2023), the STM (Ministry of Labor) had threatened a strike and the takeover of the City Council if an agreement was not reached. The agreement was reached, although negotiations continued until this Monday.