Argentina’s university protests intensify as teachers strike and students occupy pre‑university colleges

Argentina’s public university sector is in the midst of a coordinated strike and occupation campaign. Teacher unions—including the Association of University Teachers (ADU), the Federation of Argentine University Workers (FATUN), and the Federation of University Teachers (Fedun)—have called a series of nationwide work stoppages and demand urgent negotiations on salaries, budgets and the implementation of the Law of University Financing. The unions allege a loss of more than 40 % of purchasing power for faculty and warn that funding for research, infrastructure and scholarships is insufficient.

Simultaneously, secondary students from the Colegio Nacional de Buenos Aires and the Carlos Pellegrini School, both pre‑university colleges affiliated with the University of Buenos Aires, began an indefinite occupation of their campuses. The students say the protest will continue as “public classes” while they press the government to enforce the financing law, which remains suspended pending a Supreme Court ruling. They cite the law’s provisions for automatic budget updates tied to inflation and for salary recomposition for teachers and staff.

In the provincial arena, the University of Formosa (UNaF) complied with a federal court order to reinstate three deans to its Superior Council, a move described as restoring institutional balance amid internal disputes. The San Luis university teachers’ association warned that the ongoing strike could prevent the start of the second academic term across national universities if demands are not met.