A national day of protest will take place across the country on April 5, organized by social organizations, workers in the popular economy, and community leaders. The demonstration is in response to recent cuts to the Volver al Trabajo (VAT) program. Organizers plan marches, rallies, and public awareness actions at various locations to demand the restoration of public policies they say are vital for thousands of families.
The main event in the city is scheduled for 9 a.m. at Azurduy Bridge with an initial gathering. At 10 a.m., participants will march through major streets, and throughout the day there will be a “cartelazo,” or sign-waving protest. The meeting point set by organizers is Juana Azurduy Fountain and Hipólito Yrigoyen Avenue.
Under the slogan “Enough with austerity,” organizers say that reducing the VAT program directly affects vulnerable groups by impacting income, jobs, and community networks in working-class neighborhoods. They claim that “the measures adopted represent a setback for social and labor rights, weakening structures built over years through collective organization.” Organizers also highlight their essential role during the pandemic when they carried out sanitation efforts and distributed food while much of society was shut down. “We were there when everything was closed, when fear paralyzed people and government aid did not arrive quickly enough,” they said.
The groups emphasize their ongoing work in communities—such as recycling activities—which not only provide income but also help protect the environment. These often overlooked tasks are described as central to both local economies and neighborhood survival.
“They came after us by cutting rights and taking away what supported our neighborhoods. But we were not broken,” say representatives from these organizations. They stress that all achievements have come from collective effort rather than concessions from above.
Patricia Amante of Polo Obrero Jujuy said her group would participate in more than one hundred roadblocks nationwide to oppose what she called mass layoffs from social programs like VAT: “Milei eliminates programs worth 78 thousand pesos while poverty increases and finding work becomes harder… Meanwhile Adorni and all of government live luxuriously traveling on private planes.” She added: “Eliminating these programs will worsen the crisis for one million families across Argentina because this money circulates locally at markets and small businesses.” According to Amante, Jujuy alone has about 27 thousand beneficiaries whose loss could mean more than two billion pesos no longer entering local neighborhoods.
Organizers describe this protest as both an act of resistance against austerity measures affecting vulnerable communities—and an invitation for wider reflection on how public policy shapes social inclusion.
