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1. Visit of Gita Gopinath, Deputy Director of the IMF, to assess the political and social situation of Argentina

President Javier Milei met this Thursday with the Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Gita Gopinath, with whom he analyzed the progress of the plan agreed with the Government. This plan allowed access to a disbursement of US$4.7 billion to refinance the debt maturities with the organization until April. The objective of the IMF official is to obtain, through a series of meetings, complete information on the economic, social and political situation of the country. For this reason, on Wednesday she met with the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, who said that it was a “very good” meeting. “What we are doing is more than what they would have asked for and it is happening. The results are strongly calling his attention. We have a very direct dialogue,” he assured. “They put the possibility in folder of a new agreement, we also studied alternatives and talked about a new agreement, to see if there is something better for the Argentines. It is not that we are going to do it but that we are going to study it. If it is better and implies more disbursements, fine. We are studying what is better for the country,” Caputo added. After meeting with Milei, Gopinath plans to meet with the CGT’s Secretary of International Relations and representative for Latin America and the Caribbean at the International Labor Organization (ILO), Gerardo Martinez, who will convey the rejection of the trade union center regarding Milei’s economic plan.

Clarín: El FMI se reunió con Caputo para monitorear el plan de ajuste y ver si es sostenible

2. The bicameral commission of the DNU is formed

The bicameral commission of Legislative Procedure was constituted this Thursday after a long delay that generated strong criticism from the opposition. The commission will be in charge of analyzing the validity of the mega DNU that deregulates the economy, reforms the State and modifies the labor regime, a chapter that is still held up in the courts. It will be chaired by a representative of La Libertad Avanza, Juan Carlos Pagotto, and will hold weekly meetings every Thursday in which they will start dealing with the decree. It will be composed of a total of eight deputies and eight senators, six of which belong to Unión por la Patria and, they said, will seek to reject the decree. Libertad Avanza, on the other hand, will have three representatives and PRO two. Together with Senator Juan Carlos Romero, of the monobloc Cambio Federal, they would add six votes in favor of validating the DNU. In view of this scenario, the remaining four votes will be decisive, two of which are radicals, Representative Francisco Monti and Senator Víctor Zimmermann, and two federal, Representative Nicolás Massot and Senator Carlos Espínola.

Infobae: Se conformó la comisión bilateral del DNU y se reuniría todos los jueves

3. The Government decrees the deregulation of social security funds

The Government established the decree to deregulate the social health insurance companies, which will reach more than 14 million workers who are employed in both the public and private sectors, unionized workers, single-employed workers, domestic workers and the more than 5 million people who belong to the so-called “general system.” The Superintendency of Health Services (SSS) is the State agency that will lead this process of change, which seeks to give freedom of choice to beneficiaries and to promote free competition between social security and prepaid health insurance companies. Thus, the aim is to achieve order and transparency in the contributions made by the State to the health sector.

Clarín: El Gobierno publicó el decreto que marca la desregulación de las obras sociales y las prepagas

4. La Fraternidad Union calls for a national train strike

The La Fraternidad Union, of railroad workers, announced a national strike of trains. In a communiqué issued this Tuesday, the union grouping attributed the responsibility for the measure of force to the national government, which “did not summon the parties to the compulsory conciliation.” The general secretary of La Fraternidad, Omar Maturano, ratified the train strike that had been announced on Friday for this Wednesday and said that the CGT must call for “a new measure of force” in rejection of the economic measures taken by the Government, something that is demanded by “society” and “especially the middle class.” For this reason, during the whole of Wednesday, February 21, trains did not operate throughout the country. The Government issued a communiqué in which it summoned the parties to a meeting at 10:00 a.m. with the intention of reaching an agreement. Three of the four unions reportedly accepted the summons. However, without an agreement, the Government and the unions went to a fourth intermission until next Tuesday at 11:30 a.m., where they will resume the labor union discussion.

El Cronista: Paro de trenes: el Gobierno cruza comunicados con La Fraternidad y no se frena la medida

5. New minimum wage, increase in pensions and bonuses

The National Government made official this week that the minimum, vital and mobile salary will be $180,000 in February and $202,800 as from March. This was published in the Official Gazette through Resolution 4/2024 signed by the Secretary of Labor, Employment and Social Security, Omar Yasin. On the other hand, through the retirement mobility formula, the government provided for an increase of 27.18% in March for retirement pensions, thus, the minimum pension will reach $134,445, although the percentage increase will be the same for all income levels of retirees and pensioners. Finally, the Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo, anticipated that the bonus received by retirees and pensioners of the minimum benefit, currently $55,000, will be close to $70,000 in March. Thus, between the actual amount, which will go up to $134,446, and this reinforcement, next month’s income will be around $205,000.

Télam: Oficializaron la suba del salario mínimo a $180.000 en febrero y $202.800 desde marzo