BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Some women wore black funeral attire and wreaths.
A funeral procession in Buenos Aires mourned the “death” of Argentine workers’ wages.
Inflation in Argentina is expected to reach 90% by the end of this year, eating away workers’ purchasing power despite years of government attempts to keep prices in check.
“The situation for the workers is devastating. By the middle of the month we are not getting any more salaries. It is not enough,” said Melisa Gargarello, head of the Organization Front of the Struggle, organizer of the protests. told Reuters.
One protester carried a “clinical history” of wages in Argentina, a chart showing how inflation has eaten away at the value of salaries.
While many countries around the world are battling high single-digit inflation this year, Argentina’s struggle belongs to a different category.
The iconic procession, hoisted with a banner reading “Salary is dead,” circled the main streets of the Argentine capital and ended in front of the presidential palace. The wreath worn by the women carried the message, “Break the minimum wage.”
The country’s official minimum wage is 45,540 Argentine pesos (S$465), but a basic food basket for a family of two adults and two children is more than double that at 111,298 pesos, according to the National Institute of Statistics.
Years of political efforts to curb inflation have done little to keep prices down, with inflation hitting its highest level in 20 years in July.
The latest efforts include the appointment of a new economy minister, Sergio Massa, with expanded powers to curb inflation.
Argentines call him “superminister”.
FOL’s Maximiliano Maita said: “Today we are having a symbolic funeral for wages. I must say that this represents the situation that all workers in Argentina are going through. not.
