On February 19–20, a 24-hour nationwide general strike - called by Argentina's three major trade union confederations and supported by TUCA (the Americas regional body of the ITUC)- brought much of the country to a standstill: flights were canceled, public transportation severely reduced, banks and schools closed, and most businesses shut down. Clashes occurred near Congress, highlighting widespread opposition to the reforms.

The Chamber of Deputies approved the bill in a tense session early on February 20, with a vote of 135 in favor and 115 against (no abstentions), following hours of debate and some amendments. Because modifications were introduced, the bill now returns to the Senate for final approval, expected most likely by March 1, ahead of the start of regular congressional sessions.

This follows the Senate's preliminary media sanción on February 12 in a 42–30 vote after a marathon 13-hour session, which had already sparked massive protests, up to 71 arrests, and injuries during clashes.

The bill threatens decades of hard-won labour rights with regressive provisions, including:

• Extension of the working day to up to 12 hours

• Elimination of paid overtime, replaced by a "time bank" system where employers unilaterally decide when - or if - accumulated hours can be taken as time off or reduced shifts

• Introduction of "dynamic wages" based on productivity, allowing salaries to fluctuate from month to month

• Deduction of days not worked during sick leave, ending payment for medical absences

• Fragmentation of the traditional 30-day annual vacation, with employers deciding when workers take their leave

• Complete elimination of severance pay, encouraging mass dismissals and "fire-and-rehire" practices under worse conditions

• Severe restrictions on the right to strike

• Sweeping empowerment of employers, destroying the principle of equal bargaining power and leaving workers completely submissive to management

If this bill becomes law, it would set a dangerous precedent that could easily be replicated worldwide by extreme-right governments backed by billionaires and corporations - rolling back decades of labour protections under the guise of "modernization" and economic growth.

Daniel Bertossa, PSI General Secretary, said: "The so-called 'labour modernization' bill is no such thing - rather, it is an ideological agenda designed to implement neoliberal economic policies that have failed all over the world because they do not work for anyone except large corporate backers and billionaire interests. If these failed policies gain a toehold in Argentina, they represent a threat to workers everywhere."

Fernanda Boriotti, President of PSI's affiliate FESPROSA, added: "The labour reform tailored to the great capitalists of Argentina and the demands of the Trump government is a frontal attack on labour rights in both the public and private sectors. Public workers will see our right to strike affected, our right to assembly curtailed, and our ability to appeal to labour courts in the face of employer injustices diminished."

Euan Gibb, PSI Regional Secretary for Inter-America, said: "Mass demonstrations across Argentina made it clear that this supposed reform runs completely counter to the interests of the majority of the population. The state resorted to brutal and violent repression against the working class to push this reform through. This is a direct attack on the fundamental rights of workers, which is representative of the strategy of extremist governments throughout Latin America. PSI and our affiliates will continue to organize and strengthen resistance across the continent."

Federico Dávila, PSI Vice President, stated: "The self-proclaimed 'labour reform' is part of a set of measures that, far from generating more work and production, actually undermines them. These measures make employment precarious, eliminate labour and union rights, and weaken union organizations and their health systems - all with the clear purpose of maximizing the profits of large companies that never reinvest in work and production."

Nayareth Quevedo, PSI subregional secretary for ConoSur, said: "This reform, which seeks to extend working hours, weaken compensation mechanisms, and limit the right to strike, does not represent a fair modernization of labor, but rather a transfer of power from workers to employers and capital. The discussion now continues in the Chamber of Deputies. The future of decent work in Argentina is also at stake there, and the trade union movement will continue to defend the rights it has won."