Argentina’s National Federation of University Teachers (CONADU) has called for another week-long national strike across all public universities from May 26 to 30, protesting Javier Milei’s neoliberal adjustment policies against education.

The National Federation of University Teachers (CONADU, in Spanish) in Argentina has officially resolved to proceed with an additional week of national strike action across all public universities throughout the country.

This significant measure is scheduled to take place between May 26 -30, serving as a direct and emphatic rejection of the neoliberal adjustment policies implemented by Javier Milei’s administration, which are severely impacting higher education.

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The union has vehemently denounced that the Milei Government is engaged in a deliberate non-compliance with the University Funding Law and has maintained a total paralysis of parity wage negotiations, leaving teachers in an increasingly precarious financial situation.

“The voice of the Argentinean people was heard very loudly last May 12: public university is defended. The National Government responded with austerity. We respond with more struggle”, asserted Clara Chevalier, the General Secretary of the Teacher’s Federation. This powerful declaration refers to the Fourth Federal University March, which saw a massive mobilization of over one million people protesting the drastic budgetary cuts imposed on the higher education sector.

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Una publicación compartida de CONADU (@prensaconadu)

Text reads: “The National Federation of University Teachers (CONADU) defined a new week of teaching unemployment in all national universities from May 26 to 30. The society already spoke out massively on May 12. The conflict continues because the national Government does not comply with the University Funding Act. Milei chose the public university as his enemy and here we are standing, because we will defend it with nails and teeth.”

The Teacher’s Union has released figures indicating that university salaries have suffered a cumulative 34% drop in purchasing power since the inception of the Liberty Advances Party administration. With no parity updates recorded since October 2024, many initial positions within the teaching and research career have fallen below the basic basket threshold, a situation the federation has unequivocally described as unsustainable and unacceptable for the academic community.

The plenary assembly additionally resolved, by a majority vote, to supplement the strike with coordinated days of protest, public classes and various visibility actions strategically organized within academic units nationwide.

Argentina’s Education Under Attack

The National Federation of University Teachers has confirmed its intention to actively coordinate joint measures with the University Union Front and to participate robustly in other protest spaces and initiatives. The comprehensive calendar of struggle includes strong adherence to the Federal Health March scheduled for May 20, demonstrating solidarity across public sectors and the significant launch of the National Educational Front on May 22 in the capital of the country.

Meanwhile, the rectors, through the National Interuniversity Council (CIN, in Spanish), have issued a stark warning that “the type of country, democracy and society” that Argentina aims to build is fundamentally at stake. They have simultaneously repudiated the public attacks directed against prominent academic figures, including the President of the council, Franco Bartolacci, underscoring concerns about a hostile environment towards intellectual and educational leadership.

This escalating situation unfolds against a backdrop where President Javier Milei continues to offer economic lectures at private universities, further deepening the conflict with the public system due to the pervasive financial austerity. The juxtaposition of the President engaging with private institutions while public education faces an existential crisis highlights a contentious policy approach that has galvanized widespread opposition from the academic community and broader society, which fiercely defends the principles of accessible and quality public education.

The Argentinean Government’s decision to implement a 30% reduction in education spending during its initial year in office, coupled with a dramatic 118% devaluation, has precipitated a severe crisis in the public university system. This economic squeeze has not only eroded the purchasing power of academic salaries, pushing many below the poverty line, but has also paralyzed essential negotiations and led to a deliberate non-compliance with established funding laws.

The ongoing struggle underscores a critical battle for the future direction of Argentinean commitment to accessible, quality education for all its citizens, challenging the Government to reconsider its approach to such vital national sectors.

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