Spanish General Strike had Limited Impact and Support
September 29th, 2010
Spain’s first general strike in eight years to protest government spending cuts aimed at slashing the budget deficit had limited impact today beyond disrupting transport and some factories.
Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, due to unveil his 2011 budget plan in parliament tomorrow, has vowed to maintain deep austerity measures and labour reforms that make it easier for companies to hire and fire.
Trade unions said 10 million people, or more than half the workforce, were on strike. Government officials gave no numbers but played down disruption.
Financial markets shrugged off the strike, which analysts said was unlikely to make the government reverse its plans to meet European Union deficit reduction targets.
Hundreds of marchers waved flags, blocked streets and forced some shops to shut in the heart of Madrid. Union leaders said 30 protesters were detained but most were quickly released.
In northern Spain, car factory assembly lines halted. Few buses were running in Madrid and only half of underground trains, although Labour Minister Celestino Corbacho said a minimum guaranteed service agreed with unions was being met.
“We’ll continue to strike if that’s what’s needed to bring down the labour reform, which threatens to make jobs even more vulnerable,” said graphic designer Alfredo Perez, one of the pickets.
The two biggest unions, the CCOO and UGT, called the strike over austerity, labour reform and Zapatero’s plans to overhaul state pensions and raise the retirement age to 67 from 65.
The strike in Spain coincided with union action in Brussels, Athens and other European cities as austerity measures bite across the continent.
Many Spaniards braved transport hassles to go to work, citing the country’s high unemployment rate. “The country is in a mess, and everyone’s personal finances too, so I think a strike just makes things worse and is not the best way to move on,” said 35-year-old shop assistant Arancha Fernandez of Cordoba.
Spain’s economy is emerging sluggishly from a deep recession and the unions are much weaker than they were 20 years ago, representing about 16 percent of workers. “The strike is a big act, it’s just a way for the union representatives to justify their salaries… The unions haven’t defended workers’ rights before, so I’m not in agreement with the strike now,” said beauty parlour worker Teresa, 38, as she peeled strike posters off the door of her salon.
Zapatero cut civil servants’ wages by 5 percent as part of an austerity package after investors punished Spanish borrowing costs earlier this year over fears the country could be heading for a debt crisis that would trigger a Greek-style bailout.
Madrid produce markets were working normally, although stallholders said they had to stock up before the capital’s wholesale market ground to a halt as the strike began at midnight. Schools and hospitals were largely unaffected.
However, in a sign of low industrial activity, electricity demand was about 20 percent less than expected, according to data from grid operator REE. ABS-CBN.
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