Buenos Aires faces rising business closures and labor unrest

The Province of Buenos Aires is facing significant economic and labor instability, characterized by widespread business closures and intensifying industrial conflicts. Reports indicate at least 3,165 commercial and productive establishments have closed or ceased operations in the province between 2023 and late 2026, with La Plata recording the highest number of closures.

Labor tensions are rising across various sectors. In the tire industry, the SUTNA union has denounced an attempt to criminalize worker protests after a prosecutor requested that 24 employees, including union leaders, face trial following a dispute at the FATE plant. Meanwhile, the Galasur company has provisionally reinstated 19 dismissed workers following a mandatory conciliation order, though it maintains the right to re-execute the dismissals if no agreement is reached.

At a political level, Governor Axel Kicillof criticized national economic policies during the IV Productive Congress of Buenos Aires, claiming they oppose local production. In other regions, municipal workers in Río Turbio have resumed road blockades to demand wages that meet the basic cost of living, citing financial discrimination and insufficient provincial transfers.