Milei annuls a controversial 48% salary increase for his entire government that had gone unnoticed

The Argentine Government has settled the controversy regarding the 48% salary increase for members of the Executive, including the president, Javier Milei, canceling it, as reported late this Saturday by official sources.

According to the statement published by the Office of the President on its social network account X, by decision of the president “increases to hierarchical personnel are annulled of the National Public Administration, including president, vice president, ministers and secretaries”.

The text also reported the repeal, through decree 235/2024of a regulation signed in 2010 by the then president Cristina Fernández (2007-2015), which “linked the increases of national public administration workers to the salaries of civil servants”, a measure that, according to the current Executive, “was designed and executed with the objective of protect the pockets of the caste”.

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— Office of the President (@OPRArgentina) March 10, 2024

The official message concluded with the assessment that The situation in the country is “critical” and the recognition that “Argentines are making a heroic sacrifice”, so “it is time for politicians to pay the cost of the embezzlement they have caused.”

This was the conclusion of a day in which Milei was involved in a strong controversy after a salary increase became known for the members of the Executive in the midst of the socioeconomic crisis that the country is going through and its adjustment policy for the public coffers.

According to decree 206/2024, dated February 29, signed by the president and his chief of staff, Nicolás Posse, all senior executive officials were to receive a salary increase for several items that, in total, would reach 48%.

The publication was spread by the Peronist representative Victoria Tolosa Paz in the context of the recent discussion in Parliament for an increase in legislators’ allowances, proposed by the presidents of both chambers, Martín Menem (Deputies) and Victoria Villarruel (Senate), which was stopped by Milei with his ‘anti-caste’ speech ‘.

Subsequently, the president used his usual communication channel, social networks, to blame Fernández for a decree that forced him to grant “an automatic increase to the political staff of this government”.

“Obviously we are going to repeal that decree and roll back any increase that the political plant has perceived,” Milei wrote on his X social network account.

However, Fernández and also former Peronist president Alberto Fernández (2019-2023) jumped into the virtual agora to respond to the leader of La Libertad Avanza (far-right), show you both documents -that of the former vice president and the one recently signed by Milei- and insinuate if he does not sign the documentation that appears with his name.

“Oh President… you want to fight with me so that we don’t talk about the decree that he signed giving a 48% increase to you and your officials while destroying the pensions and salaries of Argentinians… and Argentinian women as well. Admit that you signed, got paid and they caught you (…) I want to think that you read what you sign, right?”, replied the former president.

Argentina is experiencing a severe socioeconomic crisis, with more than 250% inflationmore than half of the population is in poverty and the policy advocated by Milei and his Executive, who this Sunday celebrates three months in office since last December 10, is marked by fiscal adjustment.