Argentina's Milei takes his chainsaw to the state, cutting 15,000 jobs and spurring protests
Argentina says that it had cut 15,000 state jobs as part of President Javier Milei’s aggressive campaign to slash spending
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina said Wednesday that it had cut 15,000 state jobs as part of President Javier Milei’s aggressive campaign to slash spending, the latest in a series of painful economic measures that have put the libertarian government on a collision course with angry protestors and powerful trade unions.
Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni announced the job cuts in a press conference Wednesday, describing them as key to Milei’s promised shake-up of Argentina’s bloated public sector.
“It’s part of the work we are doing to reduce state expenses,” he told reporters. The dismissed workers, he added, “perhaps did not have a very defined job.”
Hundreds of defiant employees — some notified of their termination last Wednesday and others fired in past weeks — stormed their workplaces in Buenos Aires and nearby cities Wednesday, beating drums, decrying their dismissal as unjust and demanding their reinstatement.
