BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets Tuesday to disperse hundreds of jobless demonstrators marching in southwestern Argentina to demand greater government subsidies for the country's unemployed.
At least 19 people were injured, police said.
Helmeted police carrying riot shields clashed for hours with rock-throwing protesters in the streets of a poor district in the city of Neuquen, 640 miles southwest of Buenos Aires.
The skirmishes came as more than 1,500 other unemployed workers took to the streets of the Argentine capital, demanding increased government assistance for the poor.
The marches were headed by leaders of the piqueteros, Spanish for picketers who protest almost daily in the streets to demand greater government benefits for poor and jobless Argentines.
The social protest movement, made up of the country's downtrodden, sprang up after Argentina's economic collapse in 2001. A steep currency devaluation and five-year recession pushed thousands of Argentines into poverty as jobs dried up amid the country's worst financial crisis.
Although Argentina's economy has recently shown signs of mounting a recovery, unemployment remains stuck at around 15 percent.
In Neuquen, some 400 people angry over new government regulations forcing recipients of welfare programs to use the money only for food purchases hurled rocks at riot police riding on motorcycles, who responded by firing tear gas.
Demonstrations in the capital were peaceful as long columns of workers waving banners chanted slogans against the government. They protested outside government offices before marching through downtown streets, snarling rush-hour traffic.
The piqueteros movement recently has been divided between several leaders torn between taking a more hard-line stance against President Nestor Kirchner and those pursuing a dialogue with the new leader.