Half a million march in Madrid

[Ed George <edgeorge@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

>From Barry Stoller's Proletarian News site
(<http://www.utopia2000.org/>):

AP (with additional material by Reuters).

5 October 2002.

Labor march arrive in Madrid to protest cuts in jobless benefits. 

MADRID -- At least 100,000 demonstrators greeted union leaders who
arrived in Madrid Saturday after a 10-day, 400-kilometer (250-mile) trek
from southern Spain to protest cuts in unemployment benefits that the
government approved without parliamentary debate. 

The demonstrators waved white and pink balloons and played music as the
300 marchers inched their way along broad boulevards and emptied into
the Puerta de Alcala, a downtown plaza in the Spanish capital.

City police estimated that 100,000 people attended the rally that tied
up traffic in downtown Madrid, but organizers put the number at 500,000. 

Many of the marchers came here from the southern Andalusia region, the
country's olive growing heartland and a Socialist stronghold with deeply
entrenched unemployment. The march, called by two main labor unions and
political parties, started there Sept. 26. 

"The march and today's protest is a proof that people haven't given up
the fight," said CC.OO leader Jose Maria Fidalgo. "Now it's the
government's turn to listen to the social outcry and change the reform." 

Socialist leader Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and Gaspar Llamazares from
the leftist Izquierda Unida coalition were among opposition politicians
at the rally. 

The labor package approved by government decree in June cut aid payments
to temporary farm workers and eliminated salary payments to all Spanish
workers who have been fired and are appealing in court. The Spanish
jobless rate is about 12 percent. 

Unions staged a general strike on July 20, Spain's first since 1994, and
have adopted a wait-and-see approach since then as they appealed to the
government to reconsider the reforms. 

Labor Minister Eduardo Zaplana said early this week that he will meet
the union leaders Monday. 


****


>From Spanish-State daily El País:

PROTESTA Decenas de miles de personas piden en Madrid al Gobierno que
derogue el 'decretazo'

Méndez y Fidalgo exigen al Gobierno la restitución de los derechos
recortados con la reforma 

ELPAIS.ES / AGENCIAS | Madrid 

Cerca de 300 personas salieron el pasado 27 de septiembre de Córdoba
para recorrer a pie la mayoría del trecho que separa la ciudad andaluza
de Madrid. Esta marcha, que tiene como objeto protestar contra la
reforma del sistema de prestaciones por desempleo, conocido como el
decretazo, ha culminado esta mañana su última estación con la gran
manifestación que se desarrolla por las calles de la capital. Varias
decenas de miles de personas recorren a esta hora las calles de Madrid
bajo el lema "Por la derogación del decretazo. Empleo y protección
social son tus derechos. ¡que no te los quiten!". 

More at
<http://www.elpais.es/articulo.html?d_date=20021005&xref=20021005elpepunac_2&type=Tes&anchor=elpepupor>


****

>From Spanish state daily El Mundo:

La marcha contra el decretazo 'calienta' la reunión del lunes entre
Zaplana y los sindicatos

UGT y CCOO piden al Gobierno que aproveche la tramitación parlamentaria
del proyecto de ley para restituir los derechos que han perdido los
trabajadores - Zapatero insta al Ejecutivo a "demostrar" los gestos y
"rectificar a fondo" el decreto 

MADRID.- Decenas de miles de personas se han manifestado en Madrid para
pedir al Gobierno la derogación del decreto de reforma del desempleo. La
protesta se produce a dos días de que UGT y CCOO se reúnan con el
ministro de Trabajo, Eduardo Zaplana. Este encuentro ha generado grandes
expectativas, después de que el Gobierno anunciara la flexibilización de
los puntos más polémicos del 'decretazo'.

More at
<http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2002/10/05/economia/1033798266.html>


****

And lest anyone get too carried away by this:

<http://archives.econ.utah.edu/archives/marxism/2002/msg08140.htm>

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