When Javier Milei entered office in December 2023, he inherited a state apparatus consisting of 341,477 employees. In a mere two months, his government swiftly eliminated 9,000 jobs, followed by an additional 15,000 the past week. The president’s administration has signaled that further dismissals are on the horizon, leaving approximately 50,000 workers in limbo, most on temporary contracts traditionally renewed annually.
“We’re experiencing a situation of psychological terror,” said a worker from the National Secretariat for Children, Youth and Family, encapsulating the pervasive climate of uncertainty and fear among public sector employees. The Secretariat has been the most affected agency, losing almost half of its workforce in the latest round of layoffs.
Milei has not minced words about his intentions, labeling the state a “criminal organization” and declaring his objective to shrink it dramatically. He started by enforcing a 100% return to in-person work, aiming to expose ‘gnocchi’ – a colloquial term for no-show public workers who reap salaries without providing services, named after the tradition of eating gnocchi on payday in Argentina.
The official argument is that Argentina is “an impoverished country” with a state that’s too large and inefficient. “It seems to me that there’s a fairly general consensus in society to not continue paying for things that don’t match the Argentina we live in,” presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said on Wednesday, March 27.
The layoffs have not been confined to one area of public service. State advertising, which was suspended for at least a year under Milei, ceased its operation completely, leaving staff without duties and, in some cases, without necessary health insurance for family members.
Relevant articles:
– President Javier Milei fires 24,000 government workers in Argentina: ‘No one knows who will be next’
– Following General Strike, Argentine President’s Austerity Bill Withdrawn, Truthout, Wed, 07 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT
– Milei to cut 70,000 state jobs, boasting of chainsaw austerity, Buenos Aires Times, Wed, 27 Mar 2024 01:29:31 GMT
– Milei pledges to terminate 70,000 job contracts in Argentina, La Prensa Latina, Wed, 27 Mar 2024 00:31:53 GMT