Argentina: Massive repudiation of theft to pensioners

Macri the adjuster and repressor took off his mask

Macri wants to claim victory because he imposed the theft to millions of pensioners with the vote agreed with the Peronist governors. But he lost more than he won. Because the repudiation of his adjustment managed to unite the workers with the pensioners and popular sectors, who took to the streets against this vicious fraud. So massive is the rejection that adds up to millions. Even some who voted for him in October because of the hatred and as punishment to the disaster of the government of Cristina Kirchner. For them, Macri’s mask fell. This is his great political defeat. The important thing for working people, although the law passed, is this unity in the streets that must have continuity against the whole adjustment plan.

A popular rebellion in defence of pensioners

Macri and many media want to cover this massive popular repudiation throughout the country with the tale of “violence by minority groups”. They do not say this response is provoked by the policy of adjustment and repression orchestrated by the government of Macri and his minister Patricia Bullrich. They want to cover with these images there were over 150 thousand workers and popular sectors in Plaza Congreso. And that there were demonstrations in Córdoba, Neuquén, Rosario, Tucumán and other places in the country. They want to cover up the wild repression unleashed on the crowd with tear gas and rubber bullets. They want to cover up that there was a strong national strike despite the boycott of the CGT triumvirate. They want to cover up the massive cacerolazo [pot-banging] that arose spontaneously at night repudiating the repression and the bill. They want to cover up that thousands returned to the Congress at night and were again repressed. But every time they find it harder to hide reality.

Already the popular mobilisation had made the parliamentary session on Thursday 14 fail and defeated the fierce repression. Such was the repudiation that the Peronist governors failed to discipline their deputies. Finally, the miserable bonus invented and with a little more money for their provinces, the governors managed to add their votes. Kirchnerist Peronist deputies posed as “opponents”. But the reality is they performed in the parliamentary “circus” while their governor Alicia Kirchner also signed the fiscal pact tied to the pension reform and their last presidential candidate Daniel Scioli was absent from the vote, showing his complicity with the adjustment.

Pensioners are robbed to pay off the debt and save the large economic groups

Macri takes away more than 100 billion pesos [US$ 5.64 billion] from retirees with the tale of the “deficit” while he forgives taxes on Coca Cola, Coto, mining companies and big soy producers. And he keeps paying millions of dollars of fraudulent foreign debt. The robbery to pensioners and the price hikes deepen the adjustment. In addition, they will try to continue with dismissals of public servants, municipal employees, with the labour reform and the salary attack. We can defeat him.

For that, we need to prepare to continue the fight against the adjustment. The fight must be organized from below because a fundamental change is needed. An emergency economic plan is needed. Those at the top are the ones who have to pay the crisis. Enough of paying foreign debt. We must impose high taxes on large economic groups. Money for pensions, salary, education, and health. They managed, for now, to impose the pension reform, but we must continue the mobilisation as it started in support of the pensioners. In weeks a popular rebellion resulted that neither the government, nor Peronism, nor the CGT triumvirate expected. Macri has weakened politically. He won only one vote in Congress.

Such has been the popular repudiation throughout the country that the traitors of the CGT triumvirate had to call a national strike. Of course, they did not finally take it to the end. The CGT “triumvirate” did not call to march to Congress on 18 December. UTA [Transport Workers Union] boycotted the strike. Despite this, it had a great impact. We cannot trust these leaders. From below, we need to organise and support those who fight and be in the front row against the adjustment as did the militant unionism and the left. We must demand the CGT break its pact with the government and call for a real national strike and a plan of struggle. We call to organise and coordinate that strike and plan of struggle to the CTA, the Federal Current, and other opposition sectors together with the combative unionism, to continue mobilised.

Money for pensioners, not for debt!

No to the labour reform!

No to the Pact Macri-Peronist governors-CGT!

That the CGT break with the government and call for a strike and plan of struggle!

Izquierda Socialista [Socialist Left] / IWU-FI

19 December 2017



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