Chilean tourists sit outside Jorge Newbery Airport after the suspension of their flight in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024. Airport and airline workers, as well as pilots, staged a 24-hour strike to demand better wages. (Natasha Pisarenko/AP)
SÃO PAULO, Brazil – Just 10 days after Argentina’s most sensible bishops met with President Javier Milei and complained to him about the South American country’s worsening poverty, the Bishops’ Conference’s Commission for Justice and Peace harshly condemned his economic policies and his government’s most sensible levels of “social insensitivity. “
The document, made public on March 21, is the most extensive denunciation made through the Argentine Church since Milei took office in December 2023.
In contrast to previous comments by Church members, which focused on the new president’s cuts to welfare programs, the Commission’s letter included an in-depth investigation of existing economic policies and their effects on other segments of the population.
The document mentions that reports from various social and economic sectors point to “the multiplication of conditions that affect the livelihoods of thousands of people of all ages and conditions. “
“The loss of jobs is a painful sign. The chambers of construction have declared a state of emergency in the country, warning of an early future of 1,400 companies and 200,000 jobs due to the paralysis of public works by the national government and the easing of general measures. economic activity,” the text reads.
So far, about 60,000 jobs have been lost in this segment, he says.
The Commission added that the automotive industry is also paralyzed, with the closure of entire plants – such as Volkswagen’s in Pacheco – and the dismissal of thousands of workers. This has had a direct effect on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). ), which recently had to lay off 20,000 employees.
In fact, SMEs have suffered extraordinarily from the crisis, the document continues. In January, the annual commercial output rate of SMEs fell to 30 percent. Retail sales in the SME segment saw a decline over the same period, but some consistent segments fared worse, such as pharmacies, down 46 cents year-over-year, and food and beverages, down 37 cents.
Small-scale farming has also been affected by Milei’s policies, the letter said. Family farmers have been “defunded” and “abandoned through public bodies, which have gotten rid of the means of transport from the production areas” and have announced the “departure of workers who lend a hand to agriculture and livestock”.
High inflation rates have contributed to declining sales. The purchasing power of Argentines has decreased with the peso devaluation policy followed by Milei and with the increase in costs in the country. Salaries lost more than 20% of their purchasing power between December and January alone. Pensions have been hit hard, with only around 40% losses in a year.
“Permanent cuts in public policies have created disorders that endanger the highest fundamental rights, such as schooling and health, and even fundamental desires such as food,” the note said, adding that the scenario in the soup kitchens is critical with the growing number of other people looking for them every day and the lack of supplies.
The document notes that Milei benefits from a segment of the low-income running class, although he has been impacted by his policies. So are large companies – and their sectoral chambers – and their chambers. On the other hand, there is a developing tension with social movements and industrial unions.
“Although tax exemptions for giant corporations have not been reduced, the deficit is being reduced thanks to the adjustment measures implemented for staff and pensioners,” the Commission said.
The letter ends with an investigation into Milei’s political turmoil with Congress and provincial governors, as well as the fact that he does not seem willing to discuss the nation’s demanding situation with the applicable social actors.
The Commission is under pressure that “political action should promote care related to life, human dignity, decent work for all, and the eradication of hunger and exclusion. “
The document expresses the sentiments of many sectors of the Argentine Church.
According to Gustavo Vera, a former Buenos Aires councilman from the opposition Justicialist Party and founder of an organization that fights human trafficking, many Catholics have organized a front of resistance to Milei’s policies.
“I just attended an assembly with the bishops of the diocese of Merlo-Moreno [on the outskirts of Buenos Aires], who called on civic organizations to unite. This is also happening in other regions,” Vera told Crux.
According to Vera, Milei’s suspension of social assistance will deepen the crisis and lead to serious political conflict.
“More than a fraction of Argentines live in the informal economy, without any benefits or security. Those other people have suffered greatly from the COVID-19 pandemic and are now supporting Milei. But he doesn’t constitute them,” he said.
Until recently, Vera was the director of the committee that prevents human trafficking in Argentina, but he ended up being fired after continually complaining about the new administration’s negligence of the program. He said the victims of sex trafficking or forced hard labor rescued since Milei came here to force — about 130 more people — have not gotten any help from the government and may suffer again.
Pope Francis, a friend of Vera’s since he was archbishop of Buenos Aires, sent him a letter after his dismissal to express his solidarity with him and his fear for the victims.
“This happens in many sectors, such as public canteens,” says Vera.
Instead of listening to the demands of the people, Milei continues to try to “buy” various institutions, he said. According to Vera, the president also needs to silence the Church’s opposition by providing it with funds.
“He met with the bishops a few days ago and listened to their considerations on poverty. Shortly thereafter he announced a voucher program for families to place their children in private schools,” Vera said.
“The program includes Catholic schools. He believes he can buy the support of the bishops by donating cash to Catholic schools,” he added.
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