While the attendees were on Rivadavia Avenue, in front of Congress, the police officers began to push them to get on the sidewalk, and Faced with the protesters’ response, the uniformed officers began to repress them with tear gas and batons.
“Every Wednesday there is a demonstration of retirees here, the police themselves have already set up a kind of protocol. I don’t know what happened today that they came to repress”Martinez said, adding: “I think that what happened today was a clear decision to take a different attitude than the one they have every Wednesday.”
For his part, Del Caño denounced: “There is a disposition from the Government. The Federal Police is here when the City Police is always therewhich has also repressed retirees, but today the Federal Police came because there is a demonstration against the President’s veto.”
“They have the right to mobilize to Plaza de Mayo. It’s $15,000 for retirees and the Government orders repression because it is going to veto the law“, the left-wing deputy added.
Another retiree complained: “Who can live on $10,000 a day? We have spent 20% of our salaries for 40 years and it is time for the State to give us back the money we put in. We do not care if it is Milei, Fulano or Sultano, “They sold us a brand new car and now they want to give us a flat bicycle.”
Retirees’ demonstrations take place every Wednesday, but on this occasion, as was also demanded by the president’s veto, had greater attendance.
The call was made by the Union of Retired Workers in Struggle (UTJL)and neighborhood assemblies, human rights organizations, student movements, organizations of employed and unemployed workers, combative unions and representatives of the United Left Front joined in, such as Myriam Bregman and Nicolas del Caño.
Ana Valverde, one of the UTJL representatives, said that they decided to carry out a protest after the President “vociferously” said that he was going to annul the law and expressed that they will defend it even if “it is not the best.”
Retirees demand that the minimum pension reach $900 thousand
The march began at 15 hours in Congress. Then, the retirees were expected to head out, at approximately 17towards Plaza de Mayo, where they will continue to gather and demand against the veto of President Javier MileiThe protest was decided at a plenary meeting that brought together around thirty of its organizations and also called together union, social, student and neighborhood organizations.
“We intend that the value of the the minimum amount must be equal to that of the senior citizen’s basketindexed monthly, and that Today it is estimated at 900 thousand pesos“, Valverde clarified in dialogue with the Argentine News Agency.
Congress Session Deputies Senators
Mariano Fuchila
The referent pointed out that the sanctioned law “contemplates a basket of 370 thousand pesosthat is, only for food, not including everything else such as personal hygiene, household hygiene, clothing and medicines.”
Along the same lines, he stressed that there are “millions of retired people” who They charge “on the basis of 225 thousand pesos” and that this is not only being “on the edge of poverty”, but that it finds them closer to “total destitution.”
For Valverde, the president Milei “intends to veto a law that has two or three points that are interesting” and one of them is linked to the payment of “the 13 provincial banks” to which the State owes “a lot of millions.”
“We will go to Congress and then to Plaza de Mayo, walking as we can because it is only a few blocks. Some people find it difficult to walk, because we are older adults. There are retirees who use a cane, crutches or walkers, and although there is the protocol of the Minister (of Security, Patricia) Bullrich, who tries to apply it to everyone, we intend to march. And if not, we will walk on the sidewalk“, he assured.
“We want the law to be respected and We will continue to fight for the 900,000 pesos that the basic food basket for senior citizens should have“, he concluded.
Javier Milei’s veto
In view of the approval of the bill in the Senate – which had the support of 61 positive votes against 8 negative votes – President Milei insists on the idea of vetoing the legislative text. This was confirmed again by the presidential spokesman, Manuel Adorni, in his press conference on Monday, where he assured that the idea of the libertarian economist is “ total veto“.
“In principle, what must be taken into account is the detrimental error for Argentines with the sanction of this law”explained the president and added: “We have decided to veto and we think it is irresponsible for Congress to do something like this, which would condemn Argentines in the future without remedy.”
The administration’s decision is not minor, as it seeks to show firmness in the face of a Congress that, in one of its two chambers, has already shown an opposition majority of more than two-thirds. Although the possibility of negotiating and partially vetoing the law was discussed, leaving out only those articles with the highest long-term fiscal cost and maintaining the one that provides a 8.1% pension for retirees for the one-time only to alleviate the inflation of January this year. However, Milei maintains his original idea of veto the project entirely.
Last Monday, the Congress communicated the sanction of the law to the Executive power. From that date, and in the midst of a tense climate, the President will have 10 days to promote or veto the law.
Source: Ambito
