Massive turnout for general strike in Spain
Workers in the country’s car manufacturers and other major industries have come out in full support. Transport workers have also shown strong support as have some regional television stations that have been off air. Protest marches will go on throughout the evening in cities across Spain.
The nationwide action is the next step in a mobilisation campaign launched by the Spanish trade union federations CCOO and UGT. They have come together to fight the changes to the labour laws and austerity measures further threatening public services. These measures are being imposed by the Spanish government under a misguided and discredited strategy to combat the crisis.
UNI Europa and UNI Global Union are supporting the Spanish unions against these cynical labour market “reforms” which significantly weakens collective bargaining, enabling the employer to unilaterally modify salaries, working hours and other labour conditions; it gives preference to company-level agreements and it promotes the individualization of labour relations; redundancy becomes easier and cheaper, and it establishes new models of precarious contracts.
UNI Europa Regional Secretary Oliver Roethig, “Spanish workers are taking to streets once again to protect their fundamental rights which are being eroded in a failed attempt to recover from the crisis. We pay tribute to our colleagues in Spain for fighting back against these scandalous new labour laws and stand in solidarity with them.”
The strike comes a day before the ruling Popular Party will present its budget which will include more austerity measures of about 20 billion euro under EU obligations which equates to more attacks on workers and cuts in public services.
UNI Global Union General Secretary, Philip Jennings said, “The troika has got it wrong. The budgetary cuts will sink Spain further into a recession where already 23 percent of the work force is out of a job. Youth unemployment stands at more than 50 percent. The Spanish people are not going to take it and are voting with their feet. The new labour law is attack on democracy. It is nonsense to argue that making it easier to dismiss workers will create more jobs. This is an attack on Spanish democracy and workers will not stand for it.”
Spanish workers are leading the fight back in Europe and UNI is proud to support them.