Shops and supermarkets were closed, flights were canceled and garbage piled up, with some clashing with police as Argentine workers staged their fourth general strike over President Javier Mili’s term on Thursday (Feb 19, 2026).
The few buses running in Buenos Aires are nowhere near full, although car traffic is unusually heavy as many workers observe a 24-hour strike against controversial labor reform.
Dozens of flights were canceled and train stations were deserted as only a few buses ran. AFP observed.
On roads leading to the capital, small groups of protesters blocked traffic.
Later in the day, several thousand demonstrators gathered outside parliament, where a few dozen participants clashed with police, throwing bottles and rocks.
Officers responded with tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets to clear the area.
Police observed around a dozen arrests.
The CGT labor federation said more workers had adhered to the walkout call than in the previous three strikes.
“It has levels of compliance that have never been seen before in this government,” union leader Jorge Sola told Radio Convos, adding that “90 percent of operations have stopped.”
The controversial budget cuts by Mr Milli, an ideological ally of US President Donald Trump, would make it easier to hire and fire workers in a country where job security is already tight.
It reduces severance pay, restricts the right to strike, increases working hours and restricts holiday provisions.
The measure was approved by the Chamber of Deputies early Friday morning and will go back to the Senate for a final green light.
“I want to work because I’m afraid of losing my job, but I can’t get there. I have to walk,” said Nora Benitez, a 46-year-old housekeeper, before her five-kilometer trek to her job along streets littered with uncollected garbage.
Reforms spark protests
The labor action comes as Argentina’s economy shows signs of a downturn in the manufacturing sector, with more than 21,000 companies closing in two years under Miley.
He came to power wielding a chainsaw at rallies to symbolize massive cuts to public spending in the 2023 election campaign.
Unions say nearly 300,000 jobs have been lost since Mr Milley’s austerity measures began.
Most recently, Fate — Argentina’s main tire factory — announced on Wednesday (February 18, 2026) that it was closing its plant in Buenos Aires, triggering the cuts of around 900 jobs.
The last general strike in Argentina took place on April 10, 2025, but compliance has been uneven as workers have not joined the public transport system.
Last week, thousands of people demonstrated in Buenos Aires as senators debated a reform bill, and clashes with police resulted in around 30 arrests.
On Tuesday (February 17, 2026), the government issued an extraordinary statement warning reporters of the “danger” of covering the protests and announcing that it would set up an “exclusive zone” where the media could work.
“When acts of violence occur, our forces will take action,” a statement from the security ministry said.
About 40% of Argentine workers do not have formal employment contracts, and unions say the new measures will make matters worse.
But the government argues that they will actually create new jobs by reducing under-the-table employment and reducing the tax burden on employers.
In office from December 2023, Mr. Mili, however, achieved at least one of his macroeconomic goals: reducing annual inflation from 150 percent to 32 percent in two years.
But this is a victory that comes on the back of massive public sector job cuts and a drop in disposable income that has dampened consumption and economic activity.
Mr. Miley will follow events at home from Washington on Thursday (Feb 19, 2026), where he attended the first meeting of Trump’s “Board of Peace”, which has drawn criticism as a rival effort to the United Nations.
