Massive picketing isolates City

After a day of protests and roadblocks marches across the city of Buenos Aires and other main cities across the country, pickets were lifted. the City was unusually deserted, with main avenues with rarely a person- or car- in sight and traffic flowing lightly.

A 24-hour nationwide strike led by the anti-government sectors of the CGT General Labour Confederation and CTA Central Workers’ Association umbrella labour unions and the FAA Small Farmers’ Association began at midnight and affected transport into Buenos Aires as well as some underground and overground train lines, schools, banks, gas stations, the mail service and other main services.

Anti-government groups yesterday warned there would be at least 200 pickets across the country.

Regarding the reasoning behind today's strike measures CTA’s umbrella union leader Pablo Micheli told reporters that “pickets have always existed”, and added, “So I recommend that those who still want to go to work tomorrow, better do it before the roadblocks start.”

“If there’s a national strike, it should be understood as what it is: a strike. So please understand that we can’t just stay at home saying how bad things are going, we have to do something, we have to claim for our rights,” he stressed yesterday.