International Trade Union Solidarity with day of action against austerity on 19th July 2012 in Spain

Tens of thousands of public employees, trade union members and other Spaniards are marching in 80 Spanish cities to protest the latest batch of austerity measures approved by the government.

Madrid Tonight

FLASH - REVOLTE EN ESPAGNE
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800 000 à Madrid (25 000 selon la police en poste), 400 000 à Barcelone, 100 000 à Valencia

Spanish trade union confederations CCOO and UGT have called a day of action against austerity on Thursday 19 July 2012 to protest yet again at the austerity policies of the Spanish Government. Just days after receiving loans from the rest of Europe to bail out the banks, the Spanish Government has proposed yet more stringent attacks on the welfare state, hitting the living conditions of workers, pensioners and the unemployed.

CCOO General Secretary Ignacio Fernandez Toxo, who is President of the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), has blogged  on Touchstone about the issues underlying the protest.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has sent the following message of 

solidarity and support, on behalf of the British trade union movement:

'I write once again a message of solidarity on behalf of the British trade union movement and its 6 million workers in support of your day of action to protest against austerity. Like ours, your government is still intent on following the path of austerity, even though this has not produced in Spain - or anywhere else in Europe - the economic growth we need. Instead, these policies are creating destitution for the vulnerable, social division and conflict, and greater inequality.

'When governments are dismantling the welfare state, collective bargaining and social dialogue, and while money is found to bail out the banks, workers have no choice but to unite and protest against the injustice, for however long it will take to make those in power change their course.

'We will stand beside you in this and future struggles.'

And ETUC General Secretary Bernadette Segol, who will be attending the protest in Madrid, had this to say:

'The austerity measures have shown that they make the employment situation worse and have impoverished a large part of the population. Often unfair, they solve nothing and open up no prospects for the future. Nevertheless, some countries are continuing along this line, as is the case in Spain today.

'The announced cuts in public spending are increasing social anxiety in a country already deeply scarred by austerity policies. 

That is why I shall be at the side of our Spanish member organisations to demonstrate the solidarity of the European Trade Union movement.'