⇱ Index page

The Internationalist Archive

Rodrigo Borrás is the Director of Migration, Department of the International Relations Secretariat of the Central de Trabajadores de la Argentina.

In this interview with Tanya Singh, Borrás discusses how amid rising informal work, unions are strengthening ties with social movements and global allies, leveraging international solidarity to counter the far-right’s attacks and inspire hope through historic labor struggles.

Tanya Singh: Javier Milei’s policies are hitting workers hard: wage freezes, mass layoffs, and inflation. How are you maintaining unity among members when many are struggling just to survive? Are there new forms of mutual aid or direct action emerging in response?

Rodrigo Borrás: Today in Argentina, the social reality is very difficult to bear. There is great anguish and uncertainty among workers, especially among state employees due to mass layoffs, but also among many private sector workers who are seeing their factories close.

Wages are very low, and inflation is beginning to rise again. Maintaining worker unity is not easy. The libertarian discourse of individualism permeates the people, but at the same time, many workers who vote for this option see that the only ones suffering are themselves. From the CTA Workers' Union, we maintain unity because everyone knows and understands that, beyond the differences and criticisms that exist, unionism and worker organization are the only guarantees for resisting this brutal attack on the working class by the extreme right. On April 9th, there was a massive march by all the trade union centers, which will continue with a general strike on the 10th. The sense of resistance continues to belong to the workers, and this strike, unlike the previous two, enjoyed a very broad social consensus. The social landscape is changing, and the unions are once again taking an important role.

TS: Milei also aligns with far-right leaders like Bolsonaro and Trump while attacking labor. Has your union sought stronger ties with global unions or regional allies? What role can international solidarity play now?

RB: The far-right's strategy is to internationalize and present itself as a global phenomenon, where, beyond the specifics, the attacks on unions are the same everywhere. Faced with this reality, unions are once again embracing a characteristic that is unique to us: International solidarity is part of the essence of working people.

Recently, we have greatly strengthened international alliances. We had been working hard, but since the attack on the CGIL headquarters in Rome in 2021 by a group of fascists, the activity took on a new dimension. We formed a group called REDES, made up of dozens of international trade union centers from all continents, where we mobilize and work on experiences surrounding far-right attacks and union reactions to this attack. Our last meeting was in Buenos Aires in March during Human Rights Week, and it was very powerful to see workers from different parts of the world march alongside the Argentine people on March 24th. We are also holding workshops where we discuss experiences of attacks on the far right from the workplace that are taking place in other parts of the world. We are convinced that international solidarity is the key to confronting the far right, and only working people can and should do that work.

TS: With soaring informal work, how is your union reaching gig workers or street vendors who lack traditional union structures? Are new models of organizing emerging to include them?

RB: At the CTA Workers' Union, we have a very strong connection with the social movements that bring together many informal and unemployed workers. The CTA was founded in the 1990s with a slogan that spoke to workers left out of the system due to neoliberal policies. That spirit is still present today, and we constantly seek to include this sector of informal workers, who unfortunately are growing in number every day in Argentina.

TS: Argentina’s labor movement has survived dictatorships and neoliberalism before. What gives you hope—and what’s your message to workers feeling demoralized right now?

RB: The idea that gives us the strength to continue is our own history. The Argentine and global labor movement is a consequence of struggles that have taken place throughout history in very difficult times, such as the current context. This presents us with the challenge of resisting these attacks where the balance of power is very uneven, and technology is a weapon that plays on their side. But we workers will not resign ourselves; we must continue to seek strategies to reach all workers and succeed in once again raising the demands of working people: better wages, better conditions, and a future where we and the new generations can thrive. Breaking with this dystopian situation that the far right, along with the mega-billionaires, are trying to impose. Because the future belongs to us, and we must fight to make it so.

The Internationalist Archive