General Strike in Spain

[D Shniad <shniad@xxxxxx>]

A Quarter-Million March in Madrid

General Strike in Spain Fights Labor Law 'Reform'

-- by Don Fitz

   The strike began at one minute past midnight on January 27.
Thousands of workers gathered at La Puerta del Sol in the center
of Madrid. They broke into groups of a few hundred and fanned out
across the city.
   Spanish commercial centers generally have several
bar/restaurants on every street. Most closed their doors as
January 27 began.
   If the workers found one open, they reminded the manager that
the general strike had begun. Most patrons left. Those who
refused to leave often heard firecrackers go off under their
chairs.
   Manufacturing zones were shut tight, with close to 100%
participation. Many workers went without sleep the night and day
of the general strike. As the morning dawned, roving pickets
marched at department stores and other commercial businesses that
remained open. Almost all Spanish banks were closed. Even the
newspaper stands were deserted.
   In previous general strikes, the government negotiated with
unions concerning minimal services that would remain open. But
this time the government unilaterally declared that minimal
services would include 40% of buses operating. The unions were
furious. By early morning, 130 buses were taken off the streets
of Madrid because of smashed windows.

23% UNEMPLOYMENT

  The strike was over the aprendizaje (apprenticeships),
liberalized layoffs, and other  reforms in Spanish labor law.
Spain has 23% unemployment. Many people in their 20's have never
had a job. So the employers' association and government developed
a program to allow persons under 25 to work as apprentices at 70%
of the minimum wage for one year (80% and 90% in the second and
third years).
  Spanish law currently makes it extremely difficult for a
business to have a mass layoff. The reform would make layoffs
much easier. Together, the aprendizaje and layoff policy
virtually guarantee that workers with seniority will be replaced
by those earning a substandard wage.
  The reform also legalizes temporary employment agencies,
freezes salaries of government workers, reduces unemployment
benefits, and makes it easier for employers to change workers'
job assignments.
  The government claims that the labor law reform is necessary
to attract investment.
  The rally in Madrid drew a quarter million; in Barcelona,
200,000; other cities had demonstrations in the tens of
thousands. One group of Madrid workers carried a sign reading,
"The apprenticeship program equals exploitation. Go apply it to
cabinet ministers, government advisors, representatives, bankers,
executives, and your own children."
  The unions claimed a 90% reduction in work; the government
said 30%; and the employers' association 26%. The claim that
fewer than a third of workers participated was an absurdity to
anyone walking through any major Spanish city.

EUROPE'S NAFTA

  Spain is experiencing an intense form of the turmoil sweeping
Europe. In 1991, the government promised that the economic
unification of Europe under the Treaty of Maastricht would help
the Spanish economy. Instead, the standard of living has
deteriorated.
  Corporations are pushing to lower wages throughout Europe.
They eagerly use changes in Eastern Europe to their advantage
just like the attempt to use NAFTA to reduce wages in the U.S.
Like here, industry uses the threat of moving as a club against
unions.
  Spain has a reputation for being the European country with the
lowest proportion of workers belonging to unions but with the
most intense strikes. Many independent unionists call themselves
asamblemistas (assemblyists), emphasizing their organizational
structure that puts ultimate power in the general assembly of all
union members.
  They do not believe that a centralized labor bureaucracy is
necessary for a militant movement. They worry that the larger
confederations want to win official status for themselves so they
can crowd out the independent unions.
  At the Madrid rally, thousands of unionists chanted "Otra,
otra!" ("Another, another!"), indicating a desire to start the
strike all over again. The issue confronting the Spanish labor
movement is what it will do if, as expected, the government
refuses to alter the labor law reform.

[Don Fitz was in Madrid and Barcelona during the general strike,
representing The Greens/Green Party USA.]

Sid Shniad