The actors with decision-making power will quickly arrange their ranks on the political board to face the new phase that will open on December 10. On that day the term of the new legislators will begin, and the troop plan will be inaugurated where, according to Casa Rosada, nothing will go back to what it was before. In this scenario, Javier Miley’s government aspires to form a new parliamentary majority that will allow it to move forward with an ambitious package of reforms, but also lay the foundation for a new hegemony within a long-term project. Mauricio Macri has already succeeded in breaking the spell of an incomplete state. The libertarian leader dreams of being the first non-Peronist president to achieve two consecutive terms.
Its hypothesis is that the political system as it was known is in terminal crisis: the head of the main opposition party is serving a prison sentence for serious corruption, and no one in that power today seems in a position to succeed her, or face a party shift that would make Peronism competitive. The rest of the political arc presents a fragmented picture, as radicalism turned into a confederation of regional parties without a unified leadership, and forces such as the Professional Party or Cordoban Peronism were plunged into confusion after the election results on October 26.
Negotiating with the governors
In this realignment, the government wants to make the most of the good moment and move decisively towards achieving its goals. With the help of Diego Santilli, he negotiates with the Conservatives on support for the 2026 budget and the second generation reforms (work, taxes, pensions, criminal innocence and tax). Within this package, the most advanced reform today is labor market reform, of which little concrete content has emerged and versions of which the government itself has been forced to deny, such as the abolition of the unilateral tax.
Senator Carolina Losada, a member of the Mayo Assembly, where the initiative is being discussed, confirmed to this newspaper that the results of the debate on the “Labor Update” will be presented on December 9 or 10 and not on the 15th as planned. According to him, the document will also include the opposition.
Beyond its content, the initiative will serve as a “test case” for this new political formation. The test that will allow us to know whether the network of alliances that the ruling party is weaving these days is strong enough to sustain the initiative. Without going into details, government spokesmen talk about reducing labor costs, encouraging investment to get out of the productive halt and progressing in the formalization of employment that allows the pension system to be strengthened.
Opposing CGT
As expected, the CGT anticipated opposition and resorted to its usual tactic: first reject, then negotiate. The objections, expressed by Gerardo Martínez, president of UOCRA and member of the Mayo Council, revolve around the regulation of the right to strike in essential services, the limitation of the superactivity of agreements, the priority of agreements by the company, the restriction of solidarity quotas and the organization of assemblies. All actions that, in their view, reduce the strength of the union.
The recurring question is whether the government, which was strengthened in October, will impose its number or negotiate a more moderate version of the project.
In parallel, the extent of the real margin that the trade union maintains to adapt the reform process is being measured, especially on the streets. This week, the rally promoted by ATE had little impact. On the other hand, Armando Cavalieri’s statements, in which he called on unionists to consolidate their position as “the last refuge of nationality”, are interpreted by the ruling party as a sign of decline rather than strength.
The Moyano clan was weakened
This weakness is also reflected within the Moyano clan. Hugo and Pablo shamelessly expose a dispute that exposes extortionist practices and a union model in crisis. In order to get closer to the workers, in the context of the struggle with his son, the historic truck driver boss revived the so-called “Moyano Law”, which implied spending $200 million so that 6,000 collectors (with an average of 20 years of seniority) could receive severance pay in advance. It will be about US$33,000 per worker. Will they be expelled? No, the change in service provider activates the fantasy of dismissal and compensation. The businessmen refused and the union threatened to fill the city with garbage until the government took over.
This scandal prompted Buenos Aires legislator Facundo del Gaiso (Civic Coalition) to present on Thursday in the Buenos Aires legislature a draft to prevent the Jorge Macri administration from paying compensation for a concession that expires in 3 years.
Meanwhile, Casa Rosada is accelerating agreements with some conservatives who signed the May Charter with the expectation that the 2026 budget will be approved and that this political support will also act as a deterrent against union resistance.
Job stability
While this is happening in the superstructure, the man in the street lives his daily struggles and fears. With inflation declining, families’ primary concern today is employment stability. The closure of Whirlpool’s Argentine plant, with the layoff of 230 workers, highlighted the pressure exerted by Chinese imports, whose prices are practically impossible to match.
Many companies stop production and turn again – those that managed to survive – into importing companies. This situation may add a share of social discontent and increase the risk of street protests in December. A climate not at all conducive to the “modernization” of work.
Salary also suffers and presents paradoxes. There are a record number of tourists over the long weekend with average spending falling, there is an increase in debt to cover ongoing expenses and higher share rates in household income. According to consulting firm EcoGo, services outgrow salaries in a process that erodes purchasing power. The picture is completed by indebtedness, default, and resignation from consumption. The decline in consumption is also affecting companies, with a pot factory in Essen this week forced to reduce its employee base.
Fragmented recovery
Economic growth data provided by the Monthly Economic Activity Estimator (EMAE) show an improvement of 0.5% month-on-month and 4.5% year-on-year in September, which contrasts with recession expectations. But the recovery appears fragmented: financial sectors benefit while labor-intensive sectors continue to decline. Registered employment shows marginal development, and the social effects of economic restructuring begin to emerge beneath the surface.
Does death ring a collapsed system? Enlightening the new Argentina necessarily requires dismantling systems of privilege immune to democracy and money control. It is not a coincidence that these days the tragedies of two structures with strong communication vessels are being revealed: trade unionism and institutional football. In the case of the Asian Football Confederation, the rejection of his leadership has become resounding in the stadiums. Has the government taken note of this?