Labour Minister fired for increasing salary

Argentine President Javier Milei has taken swift action in response to a recent uproar over a significant pay increase for government officials amid the country’s economic challenges.

The President has fired his labor secretary following revelations of a 48 percent salary hike for himself and other officials.

The controversy erupted after members of the opposition shared details of a decree signed by President Milei mandating the salary increase, which drew criticism from various quarters. During a live broadcast on the LN+ channel, President Milei announced the dismissal of the labor secretary, indicating that the notification process was underway.

Critics accused President Milei of hypocrisy for accepting such a substantial pay raise while publicly condemning a 30 percent salary increase for lawmakers. Milei’s gross monthly salary soared from just over 4 million pesos in January to over 6 million pesos in February, exacerbating public discontent.

President Javier Milei attributed the increases to a decree signed by former President Cristina Kirchner, which automatically adjusted salaries for public employees to account for inflation.

In response, Kirchner defended herself on social media, shifting blame back to Milei and his administration for benefiting from the decree she signed over a decade ago.

Acknowledging the controversy as an “error,” President Milei expressed regret over the situation and emphasized that such a significant pay raise should not have occurred.

He also disclosed efforts to reverse a 30 percent pay increase approved for legislators by his vice-president and Senate leader Victoria Villarruel and lower house leader Martín Menem.