News

The UNI Europa Executive Committee at its 23rd meeting, which took place in Brussels on 23-24 May 2017, called on affiliates to take action to support Spanish trade unionists.

Two colleagues from Spain’s General Workers’ Union (UGT), Rubén Ranz and José Manuel Nogales, who were prosecuted for defending the right to strike on 29th March 2012 – day of the general strike – will be judged on 21st June 2017 in Madrid. The general prosecutor is demanding a 7-year prison sentence for each trade unionist.

In relation to their judgment, on top of the five years of harassment and suffering faced by our two accused colleagues and their families, UNI Europa has received a request from the UGT to mobilise support and solidarity from trade union colleagues across Europe.

We are calling on the Spanish government to respect the right to strike and for the general prosecutor to drop immediately all charges against our trade union colleagues exercising this fundamental human right.

Affiliates are kindly requested to send letters of protest to the President of the Government of Spain, Mr Mariano Rajoy (secretariapresidente@presidencia.gob.es) and to the General State Prosecutor, Mr José Manuel Maza Martín (fge.secretaria.fiscalgeneral@fiscal.es), putting internacional@cec.ugt.org in copy.

Read the full UNI Europa statement below (also in French and in Spanish).

Click on the links below for the letters of protest to the President of the Spanish Government and to Spain’s General State Prosecutor.