The event, organized by Public Services International (PSI), focused on the defense of care rights and the development of strategies to face the current political and economic challenges.

The meeting began with welcoming remarks by the Region's co-president, Federico Dávila, who highlighted the importance of PSI's action plan and the significance of the motto "people over profit with peace, democracy and social justice" that the next Regional Conference will have.

Karina Navone, second alternate of the Southern Cone Women's Committee, highlighted the importance of the meeting and the fact that it coincided with the World Day for Decent Work in such a controversial political scenario for workers.

Meanwhile, Nayareth Quevedo, PSI Southern Cone Subregional Secretary, stressed the importance of PSI's gender and care agenda. "Care is not only a fundamental human right, but also a public good that must be defended collectively," said Quevedo. She stressed the need to transform the social organization of care, an area that has historically fallen to women, both in paid and unpaid work, and which, according to PSI, must be recognized and protected by the state.

One of the central points of the workshop was the analysis of the current political context in Argentina under the presidency of Javier Milei, which was led by the Director of the Center for the Study of Labor (CETRA), María Fernanda Villegas, who revealed that since its inauguration in December 2023, the government has implemented a series of measures that seriously affect care services, prioritizing budget cuts and promoting the privatization of these essential services. Among the main concerns discussed was the possibility that the government will shift state care programs to family models, thus reducing state involvement and public funding for these services.

Participants debated at length the policies proposed by the Milei government at the sectoral level, especially cuts to care programs for children, the elderly and people with disabilities. The measures, which prioritize the family as the main caregiver, have generated strong opposition among gender organizations and trade unions, who fear that these policies will deepen inequalities and weaken social protection.

Strategies to face current challenges

One of the highlights of the workshop was the presentation and application of the IRA (Impedir, Retard, Arrancar) approach, a strategy designed to anticipate problems, manage uncertainties and ensure that, in the event of difficulties, there is a plan to address them. In this case, adverse policies that threaten care services.

The working groups made up of women from different sectors mapped the current situation of care in different provinces and sectors of Argentina, identifying the main problems arising from the policies of the current government. The fragility of care services in the face of changes in administration and the urgency of having a strategy to sustain care rights in an adverse economic and political environment were recognized.

The workshop ended with the presentation of an action agenda to be implemented by the organizations present, which included concrete actions to confront the policies that threaten care rights and women's rights, highlighting the need to compile statistical data that will allow the Women's Committee to measure the rights lost by workers.