La Plata – A potential strike by teachers in Buenos Aires province threatens to delay the start of the school year, as negotiations over pay have stalled between the regional government and educators’ unions. The dispute highlights the ongoing economic challenges facing Argentina and the difficulties in reaching labor agreements amid high inflation.
The Federation of Buenos Aires Educators (FEB) has decided not to initiate the school year on March 2, citing an insufficient salary proposal from the government. Simultaneously, the Unified Union of Education Workers of Buenos Aires Province (Suteba), aligned with Roberto Baradel, announced its adherence to a national strike against the national government of Javier Milei.
Suteba held a plenary session yesterday and will join the national strike called by Cetera on March 2. Approximately five million students could be affected by the labor action.
If a resolution isn’t reached, this will mark the first time in Axel Kicillof’s six-year term as governor that the school year begins with a widespread teacher strike. The Kicillof administration is operating under a declared state of economic emergency, seeking to mitigate the impact of a more than 13 trillion peso reduction in national funding on its relationship with labor groups.
The government has already reached agreements with state workers, those covered by Law 10430, and workers with special legal statuses, as well as most teachers. Although, the FEB’s rejection of the current offer has put pressure on the Unity Front of Buenos Aires Educators, which previously maintained a more collaborative relationship with Kicillof, particularly with the strategic alliance with Roberto Baradel (CTA).
Although Suteba will participate in a national strike in solidarity with Cetera, the union clarified that it considers the provincial government’s salary proposal insufficient but remains open to continued negotiations.
This stance is significant: Suteba will not strike against Kicillof, but against Milei within Buenos Aires province. Regardless, classes are not expected to begin on the first day of the school year, a departure from the norm for Kicillof’s government.
Kicillof, recently elected president of the Justicialist Party, is attempting to reach an agreement quickly. Negotiations resumed on February 5, with the current offer representing a 4% increase for the sector.
The FEB rejected the proposal as “insufficient” and is seeking improvements, though no date has been set for further discussions.
The Kicillof administration stated that “within a framework of economic emergency caused by the policies of the national government, and making a substantial improvement over its previous offer,” an agreement has been reached with most teachers’ unions, as well as representatives of workers under Law 10430 and special laws in the province, regarding a new salary increase.
“The offer consists of a retroactive payment to December, a proportional payment for the mid-year bonus, and a 3% increase in January, based on October salaries. Provincial workers will receive a 4.5% increase in their January salary due to the retroactive payment,” officials added.
They also highlighted the complex fiscal situation facing the province, “due to the reduction of non-automatic transfers by the national government and the drastic fall in revenue.”
Following the union’s announcement, the Kicillof government expressed its willingness to seek a new consensus “so that classes can start on time and in good order.”
The FEB is demanding an eight-percentage-point increase on current income, rather than the proposed four percent.
Liliana Olivera, president of FEB, explained that the current offer “does not manage to restore salaries.” “This resulted in a unanimous rejection,” she stated.
The FEB leader noted that “today, a newly hired teacher with this proposal would see an increase in their net salary of $22,188.” The current salary of a newly hired teacher with the government’s proposed increase would be 762,188.69 pesos, and for one with ten years of experience, 733,326.03 pesos.
The FEB has more than 60,000 members and is the second most representative union in the province, behind SUTEBA, which has just over 116,000 members.
“We reaffirm that the provincial parity proposal is insufficient,” Suteba stated today. The union called for negotiations – and not a provincial strike – to recover purchasing power.
In this scenario, It’s expected that the rest of the unions will join the strike on the first day of classes, a significant shift in the relationship with the Peronist government of this province.
The Teaching Union Front also comprises the Union of Teachers of the province of Buenos Aires (UDOCBA), the Association of Technical Teaching Teachers (AMET), and the Argentine Union of Private Teachers (SADOP).
Teachers represent the largest number of public employees in the province, and their parity negotiations not only set the tone for the rest of the agreements but their protest actions are often a catalyst for other demonstrations.
