Argentina’s major labor unions mobilize for a national strike in defense of former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner following the Supreme Court’s confirmation of her prison sentence and political ban, warning of a threat to democracy and lawfare tactics.

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Unions Unite to Defend Popular Will Against Judicial Attack

The Argentine labor movement is gearing up for a national strike to defend former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner after the Supreme Court ratified her six-year prison sentence and lifetime ban from public office.

Key unions held urgent meetings on Wednesday to coordinate a unified response, pressing the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) to call for a broad movement-wide strike against what they denounce as an “attack on democracy.”

Leaders from the Argentine Workers’ Central (CTA), La Bancaria (bank workers), the Metalworkers’ Union (UOM), and other militant unions have agreed on the necessity of mass mobilizations and strikes.

Sergio Palazzo, head of the banking union, condemned the disqualification of Kirchner as an attempt to “outlaw the popular project,” emphasizing the need for a comprehensive strike and a massive march coinciding with Kirchner’s court appearances.

Abel Furlán of UOM warned that unions will not wait indefinitely for CGT’s decision, while Andrés Rodríguez from UPCN-CGT called for an “orderly and orchestrated” plan to avoid fragmented actions.

Already, unions such as the State Workers Association (ATE), the Judicial Workers Union (Sitraju), and the Argentine Federation of National University Workers (FATUN) have held strikes “against the ban.” The mechanics’ union (SMATA) blocked access to Buenos Aires, echoing the resistance tactics seen in Brazil during former President Lula da Silva’s legal battles.

🔴 AHORA | Segundo día de vigilia frente a la casa de @CFKArgentina en Constitución.

✊ #Sindicatos , organizaciones y personas autoconvocadas se manifiestan contra la proscripción política y en defensa de la democracia.

📲 Encontrá más información en las redes y en la web de… pic.twitter.com/exH8jg7QG1

— Tiempo Argentino (@tiempoarg) June 11, 2025

The text reads: NOW | Second night of vigil in front of @CFKArgentina’s house in Constitución.
#Unions, organizations, and self-organized individuals are demonstrating against political proscription and in defense of democracy.

Lawfare and the Threat to Democracy

The labor movement explicitly compared the Supreme Court ruling to the persecution of Brazil’s former President Lula da Silva and warned that “democracy is in danger.” They argue that only the people, through free elections, should decide their representatives without interference from judicial or economic powers.

Roberto Baradel, from the Unified Union of Education Workers of Buenos Aires Province (SUTEBA), called for direct action to defend democracy and is coordinating an international strategy with European unions to denounce lawfare,a tactic widely used in Latin America to destabilize popular and sovereign projects.

Buenos Aires province minister Carlos Bianco described the conviction as a “preliminary reading” that degrades democracy and expressed solidarity with Cristina Kirchner, highlighting the absence of concrete evidence against her. The CGT emphasized that this judicial process is part of a broader attempt to undermine sovereign political projects in the region.

The call for a national strike and mass mobilization reflects the urgency felt across Argentina’s labor and political sectors to defend democracy and popular sovereignty against judicial persecution.

The unity of trade unions, political leaders, and social organizations signals a determined resistance to lawfare tactics and a commitment to uphold the will of the people in the face of escalating repression.

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