This year began with a first quarter where the entire academic community, supported by a large majority of society, carried out days of strikes, visibility and protests such as the Massive mobilization of April 23. There the question arose Defending public education against budget freeze by the National Government, which put the opening and operation of universities at risk.
As a result of these measures, the government of Milei agreed with the National Interuniversity Council and the radical, Peronist and non-aligned rectorsan increase for the operating expenses universities and hospitals. These represent less than 10% of the university budget. But for the remaining 90%, which is mainly used for the salaries of teaching and non-teaching staff, the increase was a pittance.
Added to this is the fact that, in an act of provocation, Ministry of Human Capital who directs Sandra Petovelloit was stated in a post last week that between December and July the total increase in university salaries was 71%. A total lie.
From the unions of teaching and non-teaching workers It was reported that this new item did not include the item allocated to salaries.. This claim was taken up by the Left Front in Congress, which proposed a project for the update of the university budget to include the salary item, but it was denied to be dealt with, as was the restitution of the National Teacher Incentive Fund (FONID).
He National government offered the Trade Union Front 4% update for Junewhich is added to the 16% granted in February, 12% in March, 8% in April and 9% in May. In this way, The cumulative sum of the increases, including that of December, is 68%while for the same period Inflation rose almost twice as much: 126%.
The result: a brutal collapse of purchasing powerbased on salaries that have already suffered a worrying loss from previous years. The new collective bargaining offer is a disgrace for salaries that are below the poverty line and So far in 2024 they have lost more than 30% of their purchasing power due to inflationAdded to this is the defunding of Social Works, the elimination of FONID, and cuts in Science, Technology and Research.
The National Government’s adjustment to public universities is deepening. Just as in the massive mobilizations of April 23, The fight for teaching and non-teaching salaries is necessarily a defense of the public, free, secular and free university. This requires the broadest unity and coordination with the student movement and the rest of the workers’ sectors who are going out to face the layoffs and the deterioration of their income to jointly confront the adjustment plan of Milei and the IMF.
Source: www.laizquierdadiario.com
