Argentina’s Milei takes his chainsaw to the state, cutting 15,000 jobs and spurring protests

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina says that it had cut 15,000 state jobs as part of President Javier Milei’s aggressive campaign to slash spending. The move was the latest in a series of painful economic measures that have put the libertarian government on a collision course with angry protesters and powerful trade unions. Hundreds of defiant employees — some notified of their termination just before the long Easter weekend and others fired in earlier weeks — stormed their workplaces in Buenos Aires and nearby cities on Wednesday, beating drums, decrying their dismissal as unjust and demanding their reinstatement. Milei campaigned for president while brandishing a chainsaw — promising to fix Argentina’s long-troubled economy by chopping down the size of the state.