On Thursday, train and metro services stopped running, leaving only a limited bus service for people to use. This pause in transportation was due to a 24-hour strike called by one of the main union leaders, Hector Daher. He wanted to send a message to President Javier Milei, urging him to reconsider some of the cuts he had made to subsidies and social programs.

President Milei is known as a right-wing economist who believes in cutting public spending. Since taking office in December, he has been implementing strict austerity measures to reduce Argentina’s public deficit and control the country’s high inflation rate, which is currently nearly 300% per year.

Despite criticism from the unions, President Milei defended his actions, saying his government had already made many concessions to them. He pointed out some successes, like a decrease in inflation in recent months, but critics argue that these achievements have come at the cost of economic activity, which has declined.

The unions see President Milei’s cuts as harmful to many citizens. They worry that these measures are pushing people to extreme situations that will be difficult to recover from. Union leaders have threatened to continue their protests if the government doesn’t ease its measures.

Even though there’s dissent against President Milei’s policies, he remains popular with many Argentinians, according to opinion polls. Some people support his efforts to lower government spending and combat inflation.

However, not everyone agrees with the strikes. Some people feel the strikes hurt businesses because they cause a decrease in sales. For example, Cacho, a bingo vendor, expressed frustration because fewer people were buying from him due to the strike. Similarly, a taxi driver in Buenos Aires said he barely had any passengers during the strike, which meant he earned less money.

President Milei defended his cuts, saying they were necessary to address inflation, which he believes is the biggest problem affecting people. He also emphasized the importance of lowering government spending to match tax revenue. His predecessor, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, criticized these cuts, calling them a “useless sacrifice of the people” in the aftermath of the strikes.