Revolting Europe
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Spanish, German unions call for ‘new start’ for Europe
The chairman of Germany’s DGB trade union central Michael Sommer, and his counterparts from Spain’s Workers’ Commissions (CCOO) and UGT, Candido Mendez and Ignacio Fernandez Toxo, gathered in Madrid Thursday, as Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel paid a visit to the country, and issued a joint statement: 1. The austerity measures and ultraliberal structural reforms, imposed … Continue reading
Portugal’s Optimistic PM ‘on another planet’
Portugal’s prime minister is ‘living on another planet’ unions said this week after Carlos Passos Coelho predicted that investment in the crisis-hit economy would bounce back next year. The right-wing premier’s upbeat assessment of the country’s prospects came after fresh data showed unemployment has hit a record 15% in the second quarter, and the country’s … Continue reading
Spanish unions kick off campaign to stop health cuts
Spanish unions kicked off a rolling programme of protest actions on Thursday to highlight an accelerating health emergency in the country. The actions by healthworkers, which are designed not to disrupt services to patients, will kick off in Madrid and then roll out across the country. The right wing government of Mariano Rajoy recently unveiled a €7 … Continue reading
1.5 million Spaniards say No to cuts and labour reforms
A million and a half Spaniards took to the streets of sixty Spanish cities today to protest against labour market deregulation and spending cuts. Unions estimated the numbers turning out in Madrid alone to be half a million with large numbers marching in provincial capitals as well as smaller urban centres. This is the latest … Continue reading
They call it ‘competitiveness’, but it’s ‘brutal exploitation’: new leader of Portugal’s CGTP union
IN THE RADICAL THE PRESS / IL MANIFESTO Ahead of a national demonstration on February 11, the new leader of Portugal’s main union confederation, Armenio Carlos, explains why he opposes the country’s recent labour market reforms, why the public debt must be renegotiated and of the importance of ‘giving hope that a different politics is … Continue reading
Spaniards take to streets of capital over public service cuts
Twenty thousand Spaniards demonstrated in defense of public services this Tuesday evening in the capital Madrid. Comissiones Obreras, UGT and other unions highlighted the negative impact on users of services, from health, where patients face reduced contact time with professional medical staff and longer waiting times, to poorer social care for elderly relatives, reduced emergency … Continue reading
Catalans in fresh protests over spending cuts
Public sector workers marched through Barcelona Wednesday to protest against spending cuts made by the regional government of Catalonia. The protestors marched behind a large black and white banner reading “No to the cuts. Save Public Services”, making their way from the central Plaza Sant Jaume to the Catalan parliament, where MPs were debating the budget for … Continue reading
Spain: Not got enough jobless? Let’s have some more!
IN BRIEF / SPAIN The new Spanish government’s plan to lengthen the working week in the public sector will add 12,000 to the jobless queues in Madrid alone, says the UGT trade union confederation. The job losses in the capital will be caused by the posts eliminated by increasing the working week for public sector … Continue reading
Spain losing 1,000 jobs a day
IN BRIEF / SPAIN 1,000 jobs a day are being lost, with end of year losses showing a collapse in employment spreading from construction to all key sectors of the economy. In December there were 240,590 more out of work in services, 19,132 more in agriculture, 22,861 more in construction and 17,832 more unemployed in … Continue reading
More pain in Spain
Yet another European government has been claimed by the bankers’ crisis on the continent. This time it was the turn of Spanish prime minister Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s Socialists. The landslide victory of the Popular Party was widely predicted in polls – as was the devastating defeat of the Socialists. The Socialists’ 110 seats was their … Continue reading
Spanish bankers are having a good crisis
Spanish bankers have boosted their incomes by 50% since 2004 according to a study by Comisiones Obreras, the Spanish trade union central. The most flagrant excesses relate to banks that have received large amounts of public funds, according to union, which heaped much of the blame on supervision failures by the Spanish Central Bank. The … Continue reading
Spain’s ‘neo-liberal coup d’etat’
Spain’s lower parliament has passed draconian legislation enforcing a “balanced budget”. The law, proposed by the governing Socialists and supported by the right-wing opposition Popular Party, is now expected to be passed without delay in the Senate. The law calls for a balanced long-term budget to be enshrined in Spain’s constitution, allowing for the deficit … Continue reading
Spain on the brink
By Tom Gill First it was Greece and Ireland, but in recent weeks it has been Spain that pundits say may be forced to seek a bailout. The Spanish government says it won’t happen. And to further reassure the financial markets, it is pushing ahead with a massive austerity programme aimed at halving the public … Continue reading
Spanish steps towards general strike
By Tom Gill If you are holidaying in Spain this year you may learn a couple of new words – huelga general. In the coming days and weeks the Spanish for general strike will be splashed across posters and on the lips of thousands of trade union activists who are campaigning in workplaces, the streets … Continue reading
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