The 61 public universities of Argentina began a week-nationwide strike today in defense of the education budget and wage dignity, before starting 2026 academic cycle.

Argentina’s university teachers launched a national strike today, March 16, demanding salary recomposition amid severe purchasing power erosion.

The action targets the Javier Milei Government’s resistance to apply the University Financing Law, impacting major public universities nationwide.

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The Confederation of National University Teachers (CONADU, in Spanish) and Historic Confederation of National University Teachers (CONADU Historica, in Spanish) initiated the nationwide protest this Monday, marking the start of the academic year for many institutions.

The organizations denounce that the real salaries for university teachers have plummeted by 35.6% below 2023 levels, an unprecedented decline that places them even lower than during the 2004 economic crisis. This dramatic decrease represents the equivalent of eleven months’ worth of salary lost over the past year.

Text reads: “The CONADU defined the plan of struggle in the Extraordinary Congress. It’s not just a wage claim, It is a debt. Because university financing is law. Today begins the first full week of unemployment.”

Unions demand the immediate enforcement of University Financing Law No. 27.795, which mandates a 55.4% salary increase to counteract accumulated inflation.

Despite the explicit mandate of Law No. 27.795, which was ratified by parliament following a failed presidential veto, the far-right Milei’s Government has resisted its application. Instead, it sent a new legislative proposal to Congress, further complicating the issue.

Currently, a provisional injunction has suspended the allocation of these essential funds, contributing to a deepening financial strain on public universities. Furthermore, the projected budget for 2026 anticipates a real reduction of 3.5% for higher education institutions, exacerbating an already critical situation. This follows a nearly 9% real value loss in the higher education budget during 2025, culminating in a 30 percent decline since the current administration took office.

The National Interuniversity Council has issued a stark warning, indicating that the system urgently requires a budget allocation 61% higher than currently assigned to prevent an operational and financial collapse.

This prolonged crisis, impacting the very foundation of public education in Argentina, underscores a broader struggle for the future of accessible, quality higher learning within the nation.

In response to the Government’s intransigence, teacher unions have confirmed a federal march scheduled for April 23. This mobilization aims to amplify the visibility of their fight for public education and sovereignty, reflecting commitment to reporting on social movements that champion popular rights and national autonomy against neoliberal austerity measures.

Should favorable responses not materialize, an unlimited strike would set a significant precedent of labor unrest, marking an unparalleled period of conflict within the Argentinean university system in recent decades.

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