Thousands Block Roads to Protest Austerity Plan

Thousands of jobless people and state employees blocked highways nationwide, protesting a government austerity plan and demanding work.

Argentina is sliding into a fourth straight year of recession, with unemployment above 16% and a quarter of the population living in poverty.

The roadblocks were scattered across more than 40 cities. In Buenos Aires, the capital, an airline union cut off the road to the domestic airport, creating huge traffic jams.

The protests came a day after the National Congress approved deep cuts in state workers’ salaries and pensions to trim the growing budget deficit.