Teachers' and state workers' unions in Buenos Aires province accepted the wage offer from Axel Kicillof's government and defused the possibility of another strike in the short term.
The proposal includes a 7% increase over June wages, distributed in two stages: 5% in July and 2% in August. The agreement came after unions rejected an initial 2.5% offer, considered insufficient against the accumulated loss of purchasing power.
Acceptance covers the Buenos Aires Teachers' Unity Front, made up of Suteba, FEB, Udocba and AMET, and also state workers' unions under Law 10.430, including ATE and UPCN through Fegeppba.
Buenos Aires Economy Minister Pablo López defended the agreement as recognition of those who sustain education, health, security and provincial public services. For the Kicillof administration, the deal restores political room after the strikes of the previous week.
The bargaining round also included a commitment to reopen negotiations in September. That point will be key to assessing whether the agreed increase can contain wage tension amid income deterioration and inflationary pressure.
In education, the province added measures to address incidents of violence against teachers in schools. The package includes a campaign called "Cuidemos a quienes enseñan", communication materials, awareness actions, training and coexistence agreements between schools and families.
For state workers under Law 10.430, the agreement includes permanent appointments for personnel hired between 2024 and 2025, changes to selection processes for senior posts and technical tables on administrative careers and collective bargaining agreements.
The deal does not close the underlying discussion, but it postpones the immediate conflict. For Buenos Aires, the challenge will be to sustain wages, education services and labour conditions without turning the bargaining process back into a provincial governance crisis.
