The CGT and ATE of Tierra del Fuego announced a total strike against the tariff reduction announced by the National Government.

In light of the recent announcements by the National Government regarding the reduction of tariffs and taxes on electronic devices, unions from all sectors in Tierra del Fuego called for a general strike in the province " in defense of sovereignty, labor, and national industry ." The main proponents of the strike were the General Confederation of Labor (CGT ) and the State Workers Association (ATE).

"In the face of the National Government's new attack on the work and production of Tierra del Fuego, Antarctica, and the South Atlantic Islands, and the people of Tierra del Fuego in general, the province's union and social organizations express our absolute rejection and demand the reversal of all implemented measures that threaten our industry, jobs, and the dignity of thousands of families in the province," the unions stated.

The unions asserted that the measures will result in "the loss of more than half of the industrial jobs in Tierra del Fuego ," and accused the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of having requested this measure. "It is part of the concessions the Javier Milei government has made to the IMF in exchange for a loan that allows him to maintain his unsustainable economic plan," they denounced. The strike will take place next Wednesday, May 21.

Faced with this situation, the unions emphasized: "The entire Tierra del Fuego workforce, represented by guilds, unions, and labor and social organizations, stands up and will fight against this new onslaught from a sellout government, which only seeks to benefit a tiny segment of the population while striving to wreak havoc on the hunger and misery of the rest of the population."

To conclude their defense, the union units reaffirmed their "commitment to and the continued struggle of the labor movement against a plan that only aims at financial speculation and the plundering of Argentina's natural resources in favor of foreign agents." The government's plan to eliminate tariffs on household appliances and electronic devices was announced this week by the presidential spokesperson and will consist of two phases: the first, beginning after its publication in the Official Gazette , will reduce tariffs on cell phone imports from 16% to 8%; while the second will take place on January 15, 2025, when these taxes will be completely eliminated.