WORKERS across Argentina walked out on a 24-hour general strike today in opposition to a raft of new measures by the country’s new right-wing president, Javier Milei.

Thousands of workers took to the streets to support the strike against draconian, anti-democratic legislation proposed by Mr Milei that threatens decades of progress and hard-fought social protections.

The strike comes at a time when more than 40 per cent of Argentinians live in poverty and inflation is running at a staggering 211 per cent.

In an interview ahead of the strike, Gerardo Martinez, leader of the Construction Workers Union, said: “We did not choose this path but there will be at least 200,000 marching in Buenos Aires and I believe the strike will be total.” 

Before the strike, Mr Milei’s administration said it intended to dock a day’s pay from each striking public servant, and established an anonymous toll-free line for people to report “threats and pressure” being applied to force workers to stay away from their jobs.

But general secretary of the eight-million-strong Union of Workers of the Popular Economy, Alejandro Gramajo, said unions had come together in “a massive show of force.”