Argentine president fires labour minister for increasing ministers’ salaries amid economic crunch

President Javier Milei of Argentina has sacked labour minister Omar Yasín for increasing the pay of ministers and other senior cabinet officials, implying it was irresponsible of Mr Yasin to have done so at a time the nation was battling severe economic crisis.

“I’ve fired the labour secretary,” Mr Milei said in a live broadcast on TV channel LN+ on Monday. “Let’s say at this moment they’re notifying him.”

Mr Milei had faced heavy blowback after opposition faulted him and labelled him a hypocrite for receiving a 48 per cent increase in his pay while he went around criticising lawmakers for raising their pay by 30 per cent.

The president blamed the pay boost on a decree signed by former president Cristina Kircher in 2010, asserting it was automatic. He also rescinded the increase.

But Ms Kircher defended herself on X that she may have given the decree 14 years ago but that it was still Mr Milei who signed and implemented its payment this year.

“It was revealed that you and your cabinet increased your salary by 48 per cent, and you have no better excuse than putting the blame on me, for a decree I signed 14 years ago?” she queried Saturday evening on her X account. “Admit that you signed it, cashed it out, and were caught.”

The Argentine leader decried the salary raise “an error” that ought not to have occurred in the first place and fired Mr Yasin for it.

“This is an error that should not have been made,” the Argentine president said. “Because moreover, this was cleared up in January, the consensus of the ministers was that we have to manage with our salaries frozen.”

He stressed that the increase already paid to officials would be deducted from their next paycheck.