From our Spanish correspondent: VIVA Éspana!
Today in Spain workers from actors to train drivers and all trades in between are taking part in a General strike. Even on the Costas British tourists have been advised that hotel kitchen and cleaning staff will not be available The CCOO and the UGT have coordinated the action in protest at the Spanish governments latest austerity plans that propose...
- Changes to Labour laws, including, as Ignancio Fernando Toxo notes. "backward steps in basic rights for workers' such as hiring, firing and working conditions all of which will take us to the extreme of eliminating the possibility of collective negotiations"
- An austerity budget
-And sweeping welfare cuts including delaying retirement to 67 and include changes to the pensions system.
Toxo, leader of the CCOO is in no doubt about the origins of the turnabout in economic policy. "This results from the panic generated when faced with the Greek crisis and the speculative movements towards Portugal and Spain, while Europe looked the other way. That is the turning point that brings an end to expansive policies to save the financial system and prioritised public debt. That damages jobs". (from reports in El Pais http://www.elpais.com/global/)
Candido Mendez of the UGT agrees. "The crisis in Greece has been used to apply a catch all cure with Germany playing a leading role. " Both leaders stress the Spanish presidency of the EU should have been used to focus on a fight against the crisis and not accept the current financial orthodoxy.
Both unions have worked together to gather support for today’s action. They are adamant that today’s action will impact on the government. Mendez comments, "I have the feeling the government acknowledges the impact of the strike given that just a few days ago they included tax rises for the rich in the draft budget.”
Both leaders are clear what is at stake. The Spanish government is clinging to measures that it was fighting against till only a few months ago. Toxo explains, "There are some who think that workers organisations are a kind of nuisance and that they should be gotten rid of”, clearing a path for neo liberalism.
Mendez agrees. "Unions are considered to be the biggest obstacle to taking advantage of the crisis and weakening our social protection system, dealing with the final phase of privatising fundamental services and weakening collective negotiations".
For these unions today must, and will be a success.
