By Roberto Morejón

Although the ultra-liberal Argentine government tried in a theatrical way to disguise or attenuate the echoes of a recent general work stoppage, the truth is that the cessation of activities was very effective in sectors such as transportation and the movement of vehicles on the streets.

Called by the General Confederation of Labor, the interruption of work was the second during the government of far-right Javier Milei, who took office last December, at which time he brandished the chainsaw as a symbol of his ordinances.

When the union boom makes analysts think about what they describe as a reunion with the people, the second general strike against the brutal spending adjustment of the current ruler achieved the support of state, health, tourism and transportation workers, including aviation.

Not by chance, the unions accuse the tenants of the Casa Rosada of lacking social dialogue and implementing a brutal adjustment with a more visible impact on the lower-income sectors.

Milei and his followers respond that spending cuts, in the order of 13 points of the Gross Domestic Product, layoffs, the withdrawal of support for soup kitchens and other benefits, are necessary to lower inflation and the fiscal deficit.

It is true that the scissors facilitated the first fiscal surplus since 2008 in the first quarter of the year, but the price was high, with the closure of State institutions, the elimination of subsidies, the reduction of protection for science and an increase in public service rates. .

With depreciated salaries and pensions, Argentines have been painfully affected in their food consumption and customs, including yerba mate.

With the threat that some universities could close and the calamity of the most vulnerable, Milei hides behind what he calls international successes.

This refers to its questioned alignment with the United States, even with the blockade of Cuba, and Israel, in the latter case at the cost of voting against a motion in the UN General Assembly to support Palestine's accession. Only nine countries voted against.

Engulfed in controversies with other dignitaries, with his back turned to an Argentina that is suffering a serious crisis with triple-digit inflation, poverty and unemployment, Milei seems more enthusiastic about his personal hobbies than about the fate of many of his compatriots.