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Spain: Thousands in the streets against labor reforms ››Eagainst.com
Spain: Thousands in the streets against labor reforms
12/03/2012 | » News
Massive protests against government’s plan for labour reform took place this Sunday in 60 Spanish cities. These are the first mobilizations after the announcement of a general strike on Μarch 29 against the policies of the conservative ruling Popular Party under Mariano Rachoi.
The measures include reduction of the redundancy pay to 33 days of work per year (from 45 today), reduction in wage raises, as well as plans for industrial reforms and cuts in spending of 8.9 billion, and a freeze on the public sector wages bill. Three-quarters of Spaniards do not believe that this reform will contribute to job creation, according to a recent poll.
The reform “hurts people, encourages redundancies and benefits the employers. We dismiss the entire government ” said Irene Chimeneth a 29 y.o worker in health care employment with only a three-month contract. “The reforms did not benefit the unemployed”, said also Jose Javier Rodriguez, civil servant, 53. “It is absurd to think that it would reduce unemployment by making it easier to people to become redundant,” he added. Antonio Martinez, also, one of the protesters in Madrid, a retired professor, said that neoliberalism leads to destruction. He was holding a banner with the slogan “Do not let our grandchildren become slaves.” (Source)
At the moment, Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the EU -23%, while the government predicts that this year will exceed 24.3%. Spain counts almost one third of all unemployed in the euro area. For young people under 25, unemployment stands at 48.6%.
Rachoi is “committed” to reducing the deficit below the EU 3% of GDP, by 2013, while trying to convince the markets that Spain will not need a loan agreement similar to those of Greece, Ireland, and Portugal. This year’s deficit target is 5.8% of GDP.
The demonstration, organized by UGT, CCOO and USOC. which also involved other trade unions, like PSC, ERC and ICV and the anarcho-syndicalists CGT and CNT. It is estimated that around 450,000 participated in Madrid and Barcelona separately. Trade unions warned that if the government will not withdraw the reform (which will lead to more undemployment) protests will continue. The police, on the other hand, reported that 30,000 people marched in Madrid, 17,000 in Barcelona, 15,000 in Seville, 15,000 in Malaga, 9,000 in Grenada and 5,000 in Valencia to Almeria and Cadiz.
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