[A-List] Spain: Labor struggles

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Financial Times

Spanish unions call for general strike
By Leslie Crawford in Madrid
Published: May 23 2002 18:41 | Last Updated: May 23 2002 18:41

Spanish labour unions on Thursday called a general strike for
June 20, on the eve of a European Union summit in Seville, to
protest against government plans to tighten unemployment benefit
rules affecting Spain's 2.4m jobless.

The general strike will be the first faced by José María Aznar's
(pictured) centre-right government, and marks the end of eight
years of peaceful labour relations in Spain. The decision to go
ahead with the protest follows recent strikes in Italy and
Germany.

Mr Aznar's proposed social security reforms have united the
country's rival trade unions - the Socialist-led Unión General de
Trabajadores, and the larger, formerly communist, Comisiones
Obreras. Mr Aznar wants to deny unemployment benefit to those who
refuse jobs offered within a 50-km radius of their home town.

He also wants to phase out unemployment subsidies for
agricultural workers, who are entitled to a monthly state income
of about ?300 if they are gainfully employed for 32 days a year.

Mr Aznar's government believes generous unemployment benefits
restrict labour mobility. Spain's unemployment rate is 12.75 per
cent - the highest in the EU - but there are big regional
disparities. The Basque country and the Mediterranean coast enjoy
near full employment, while Extremadura and Andalusia, Spain's
poorest regions, have the highest rates of unemployment.

The unions, however, reject any measures that restricts benefits.
Already, they say, more than 40 per cent of Spaniards who are out
of work are not entitled to unemployment benefits.

José María Fidalgo, a doctor who leads Comisiones Obreras, on
Thursday said he opposed any change to benefit rules that
"restricted labour rights and undermined job security".

Cándido Méndez, leader of UGT, called on the government to
withdraw its controversial social security reforms. He said
labour unions wanted economic policies that fostered stable
employment, worker training programmes and technological
innovation.

Mr Aznar accused the unions of sullying Spain's international
reputation on the eve of the final summit of his EU presidency.
Seville, capital of Andalusia, is a Socialist stronghold, and
disgruntled farm workers are expected to take advantage of the
big media presence at the summit to make their views heard.

Trade unions, particularly in the public sector, have accepted
several years of real wage cuts in an effort to raise
productivity.

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