The World - News from Jan. 27, 1987

A one-day general strike closed major industries in Buenos Aires but failed to stop commerce in a test of strength between the government of Argentine President Raul Alfonsin and Peronist-controlled labor unions. It was the eighth general strike called against Alfonsin’s austerity measures in his three years in office. Absenteeism was heavy in blue-collar industries, especially the factory belt around the capital, and in interior provinces that are the stronghold of the opposition Peronist party. However, most businesses and banks remained open. The strike was called after the government raised the minimum wage from $85 to $115 a month instead of the $127 that the unions had sought.