News
UNEMPLOYED SWELL MAY DAY DEMO’
Dave Bull / 2009-05-02 12:06:09
The traditional May Day celebrations in Alicante are always popular and generally a good natured affair but with four million Spaniards now out of work and new demands from industry to cut workers benefits, last Friday saw some heated and passionate calls for help from the government, and the threat of strikes.
Many new faces were to be seen demonstrating in the city, including a significant number who have found themselves out of work for the first time. Many were from businesses related to either construction or tourism which have been the hardest hit.
Ex-pats and Spaniards have been affected enormously in the last year or so with many ex-pats returning home to their native country in a desperate search for work.
One person who attended the rally for the first time was Pilar Navarro who at 64 years old finds herself out of work, and unable to find employment for the first time in her life, said Pilar, ‘the outlook is very bleak but at least, at the moment, my three kids have work- but for how long we just don’t know’. A good number of demonstrators had previously been in the employ of the many constructors in the region and they vented their fury at the banks, blaming them for not releasing funds and credit to those who need help and to those looking to buy property which could help get things moving again. They denounced the banks for holding on to money despite calls from central government for the finance houses to start lending once again.
Following the teachers’ strike last Tuesday, a good number came to show their support for the demands from unions to stop the industry bosses reducing benefits for those who are made redundant. Currently an employee will receive 45 days pay for every year worked if they are laid off but the employers have asked the government to slash that to just 20 days, a move which the unions say will only add to people’s misery and hardship.
The teachers also demanded that more money be allocated for education as in the current climate courses and activities are being either reduced or withdrawn totally as schools try to manage their budgets.
Another claim from workers was that bosses are now making it very difficult for employees when they need time off to look after their children or attend appointments, citing the worst recession the country has known as a reason why they need people to remain at their workplace but angry parents stated that they fear for their jobs if they want or need time away from work.
No calls
Many seasonal workers and people employed annually for tourism are complaining that usually they will get a call in February to begin work for the rest of the year but, for many, the phones have stayed silent. This includes such places as Terra Mitica and other, normally, extremely popular venues along the coast who are feeling the pinch as much as any other industry.
Strike Threat
Addressing a demonstration in Madrid, Ignacio Fernández Toxo, the leader of the CC OO, Spain’s largest union, said that protests would move to “another level” if the CEOE did not withdraw its demands to reduce the compensation for those made redundant. Toxo also called on Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero to explain during the State of the Nation debate in Congress later this exactly what further plans they have to try and pull the country out of the current economic crisis. He also called for higher taxes for those on large incomes and for the government to make more money available for the unemployed.
Tags: Unemployment, Terra Mitica
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