The Leader Newspaper

 

Following the demonstrations on May Day calls were made to the government to pump more money into creating jobs in a country that currently has TWICE the number of unemployed as the European average. It has got to be time for people to sit down and talk. Yes, the unions will look after their members rights very well indeed and demand that they receive what they are entitled to but are they looking any further ahead than, say, the end of the month? Times are tough, very tough, never before has Spain been through a recession like the one that it, and the rest of the world, are suffering from now. These times are unprecedented and workers, employers and unions need to sit down and take a look at things. Demanding that the 45 day compensation package should not be reduced is all very well if the economy is stable or booming but right now things need to be approached from both sides with one eye on the future. Companies are struggling like never before and in order to keep their business running, and employing people, things need to be readdressed for the good of all. There is no point in calling for companies to make large payments which I the long run could mean that they cannot survive and in paying off those that it has had to let go it then has to close down completely depriving even more people of an income and the unions of their members. There has to be a way that they can work together for the benefit of all through this recession instead of pitting themselves in confrontation because that’s they way it always has bee. It has never been like this before and exceptional circumstances demand exceptional practices, and all I’m saying is that could be made a lot easier if the unions and the employers, and those in the seats of power, sat down and worked together. We’ll see…

 

TIME TO ACT

 

The Priors have just discovered, although they knew already but a judge agreeing always helps, that their home in Almeria was destroyed illegally. Many people, including an awful lot of ex-pats, have the threat of the bulldozers moving in to reduce their dream home to rubble but perhaps this ruling will bring to the forefront some of the shady practices that have been carried out over the past few years in the construction industry. These people are the victims and stand to lose everything while the builders, lawyers and whoever else pushed through the sales of illegal house just carry on with the bank balance swelled from the profits. It’s time the government took a good hard look at what went on and sorted out this miserable situation, once and for all.