02/07/2026 04:11 - Actualidad
Argentina's Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica (CNEA) —the National Atomic Energy Commission, the country's premier nuclear research institution— notified 61 contract workers of their termination on Tuesday, June 30, 2026. The notification came through the Electronic Document Management System, stating that fixed-term contracts would expire definitively and would not be renewed or extended.
The announcement was accompanied by a significant Gendarmería Nacional operation (Argentina's federal military police force) that surrounded the headquarters on Avenida Libertador in Buenos Aires and entered various floors of the scientific facility. According to sources close to CNEA authorities, the terminated staff had illegally entered the building and caused disturbances, prompting the request for reinforcements, including armored vehicles.
Sources close to CNEA authorities stated that all terminated workers had been hired in 2023 under fixed-term contracts during the presidency of Adriana Serquis. They emphasized:
CNEA President Martín Porro confirmed via X (formerly Twitter) that "there were no dismissals of scientific or strategic personnel". This aligns with statements from the Secretary of Nuclear Affairs, Federico Ramos Napoli, who on April 15, 2026 declared that "for years, CNEA was used as a political patronage haven".
ATE (Asociación de Trabajadores del Estado — the State Workers' Association, Argentina's public sector union) issued a statement denouncing a "dismantling policy" that includes severe wage erosion and the gutting of capabilities acquired over decades. According to ATE:
Rodolfo Kempf, Secretary of Institutional Relations at CTAA, revealed informal conversations with Porro, who had allegedly promised no terminations at the end of June. "The other day we caught him in a hallway and asked if there would be layoffs, and he said no", Kempf stated.
| Department | Layoffs | Description |
|---|---|---|
| CAREM | 15 | Modular reactor project under construction (frozen by government) |
| Research, Development & Innovation | 12 | Scientific research division |
| Nuclear Energy | 6 | Constituyentes Atomic Center |
| Administration & Finance | 4 | Administrative area |
| Academic | 4 | Training and education |
| Bariloche Atomic Center | 4 | Facility in Bariloche, Patagonia |
| Radioisotope Production | 3 | Radiation applications |
| Other 8 departments | 13 | Communications, Health, Technology Transfer, etc. |
Sources identified several terminated professionals:
The presence of Gendarmería at CNEA headquarters has been controversial for months. According to Rodolfo Kempf, "using the excuse of the outbreak of war in the Middle East, months ago they placed gendarmes with long weapons at the entrances and search our bags coming and going, but in reality those gendarmes were positioned to handle this situation that exploded now with the layoffs".
Official sources maintain that CNEA is guarded by Gendarmería "because it is a strategic institution" and that the operation responded to terminated staff allegedly entering the building illegally and causing disturbances.
Source: Econojournal — June 30, 2026
Alfredo S. Quiroga
