University conflict: when will the next federal march demand enforcement of funding law?

Argentina’s public universities are preparing another nationwide mobilization to demand that the government implement the University Funding Law. The fifth federal march was proposed for October at a meeting of rectors in Bariloche, although organizers have not yet set a date.

Franco Bartolacci, president of the National Interuniversity Council and rector of the National University of Rosario, proposed the march during the council’s 96th plenary meeting. He said broad public support had previously helped universities maintain their position against government cuts.

The law will reach 321 days without implementation on Monday, while the government has also failed to comply with a precautionary court order. The order followed a Supreme Court ruling on June 25 and should have produced an “immediate” 31% salary increase for more than 300,000 teaching and non-teaching staff at more than 60 public universities, according to the article. Nine months have passed.

The council also approved a proposed 2027 university budget of 11 trillion pesos. University representatives will send letters to legislators on Monday and call a public meeting at Congress within 15 days to explain their financial needs. For 2026, universities requested 7.3 trillion pesos. The government granted 4.8 trillion and later added 1.33 trillion, including funds used for a 21% salary agreement.

The dispute remains unsettled. At a failed labor negotiation, the government offered a 3% increase for September, while the law calls for a 31% adjustment. The council’s executive committee received authority to call the march as legal proceedings continued over the government’s compliance with the court order.