Argentina Government Reaches Funding and Salary Deal with Public Universities

After more than two years of strikes, protests and a court battle, Argentina’s Ministry of Human Capital signed an agreement with the National Inter‑University Council to end the financing dispute with public universities. The deal, brokered at the Palacio Sarmiento by Subsecretary Alejandro Álvarez, allocates 800 000 million pesos for the sector. It provides a 24.33% salary reconstruction – 21.33% effective from June 2026 and a further 3% in October – and earmarks an additional 50 000 million pesos for university hospitals, on top of the 80 000 million already budgeted. Operating costs of the institutions will rise by 20%, and Manuel Belgrano scholarships for strategic careers will increase by 50%; Progresar scholarships were not included. The agreement also guarantees funding for union training and requires universities to account for the disbursements under existing law. While union leaders welcome the step, they note the judicial dispute over the full application of the university financing law remains open.