Argentine general strike
At least a dozen people were injured and about 100 arrested in Argentina on August 8 during a national general strike against the government's economic policy. Observance of the strike ranged from 70% to 100%, and was highest in areas hardest hit by unemployment.
The strike was called by the General Labour Confederation (CGT), which is allied with the ruling Justicialist (Peronist) Party, together with two dissident federations, the Movement of Argentine Workers (MTA) and the Argentine Workers Congress (CTA).
According to the largest business association in the country, the strike had a 70% impact on industry. Hospitals saw only emergency cases. The National Commission of Automotive Transport said that about 70% of public transport was halted. Some international flights were suspended, and many small and medium producers and business people joined the strike.
Large demonstrations were held in the provincial capitals Córdoba, San Salvador de Jujuy, Neuquen and Trelew. In the city of Rosario, workers blocked highways and set up soup kitchens; all businesses and industry were closed.
Despite heavy repression and a government ban on demonstrations, the strike was also strong in Buenos Aires, where labour actions are usually weakest. Police used tear gas and beat MTA members in an attempt to prevent them from setting up soup kitchens in the plazas of the capital, where they sought to provide food for unemployed people and pensioners.
The CTA mobilised thousands of strikers in a protest march of nearly 50 km along the outskirts of the capital. In nearby San Justo, police did not intervene when about 100 strikers and residents of marginal communities used burning tyres and wood to block the national highway.
[From Weekly News Update on the Americas, 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY, 10012, USA; email nicanet@blythe.org.]