Students and school pupils at the National University of La Plata have had 38 days without classes in 2026, La Nación reported. Staff are demanding implementation of the university funding law and higher pay, while a union warns of more strikes next week.
The National University of La Plata (UNLP) has about 123,000 students across 17 faculties. The strikes have also affected roughly 5,100 pupils at five secondary schools run by the university. They include Rafael Hernández National School and Víctor Mercante Lyceum.
Faculty and staff are calling for the university funding law to be implemented, free collective bargaining over wages, higher scholarships and more funding for science and technology. In September, the government offered pay increases of 3% for September and a further 3% for October. Unions said the offer was inadequate.
Parents of school pupils have had to find a way to cover missed classes week by week. Many of them also work at UNLP as teachers, researchers or other staff, and support the strike despite the disruption to the school calendar.
Buenos Aires Province Governor Axel Kicillof also backed public education on Thursday and criticized President Javier Milei’s policies. He said the dispute was about more than the budget. The remarks were made as the labour conflict continued.
Unions say the executive branch has failed to comply with the law for more than 300 days. They put cumulative inflation from December 2023 through July 2026 at 329%, while university employees’ salaries rose by 227% over the same period. The unions cite these figures in their dispute over compensation for lost purchasing power.
Federal Judge Martín Cormick ruled unconstitutional a section of Decree No. 759/2025 that the government used to suspend implementation of the law. Adulp says it expects the ruling to be enforced and has called for a 35% increase. In the broader pay dispute, unions are seeking a 31.2% adjustment, while the government offered two increases of 3%.
Against the backdrop of the continuing dispute, UNLP’s university radio reported that the Fifth Federal University March is scheduled for October 15. If the government does not respond to the demands, further strikes could take place next week.