Thousands march in protest against cutbacks and labour reforms

(Photo:elpais.com/Juanjo Martín/EFE)

SPAIN (El País) Tens of thousands of people took to the streets around Spain on Tuesday to mark International Workers’ Day. The largest rally took place in Madrid, where the labor unions said some 100,000 people joined a march in protest against the sweeping spending cuts and labor reforms of the Popular Party government. “The [general strike of March 29] is not the end of it; the first of May is not the end of it; we’ll keep coming onto the streets to annoy them, to make them change,” said the leader of the CCOO labor union, Ignacio Fernández Toxo. His counterpart at the UGT union, Cándido Méndez, said that the government’s labor reform plan “has brought the working conditions of China to Spain.” Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, he said, “wants to impose the Thatcher mandate on us and destroy public services.”>>>

Pilots to strike every Monday and Friday

Iberia Express begins operations

SPAIN The Iberia Airlines (part of British Airways) pilots belonging to the SEPLA Union -the majority- voted to strike every Monday and Friday beginning on April 9 until July 20, both dates included. The reason is that they have not been able to reach an agreement with the company about its new low-cost airline Iberia Express, among other things. The latter began operations last Sunday, after the Development Ministry-appointed mediator, former minister Manuel Pimentel, announced that the talks had come to an end. The strikes so far, in December, January and February, have meant some €36million in losses, some €3m per day. It is possible, according to sources, that other unions, covering ground services such as baggage handling and cleaning, may join the pilots by striking as well.

Iberia cancels 289 flights as result of three-day strike

Strikes are scheduled for January 25 (tomorrow), 27 and 30

SPAIN (Agencies) The pilots union, SEPLA, scheduled the strike in protest over the airline's decision to create a low cost line and are a continuation of previous protest strikes. Iberia has said that, while most of the cancellations impact principally on internal flights and some in Europe, they are able to put passengers on alternative routes and flights, and are therefore operating at 66% capacity. Passengers can obtain more information on the Iberia website but those who have paid for their tickets will be getting a message informing them of the situation. More information is also available on Facebook and Twitter as well, says the airline.

Unpaid workers to have strike time discounted from payments

(Photo: europasur.es)

LA LÍNEA (Agencies) Mayor Gemma Araujo announced yesterday that once the Personnel Department gets back to normal after several weeks of strikes by municipal employees demanding payment of back wages, the Council will discount those days. The start of the strike, called 'permanent assembly' officially, began on December 5th, according to the Council and ends when the staff get back to work. Araujo also pointed out that the emergency €500,000 for payment of at least part of the debt promised by the provincial authority had not yet been received. Protests are due to continue.

A group of unpaid police officers take over entrance to municipal offices

LA LÍNEA (Agencies) As though closing the border were not enough, a group of unpaid Local Police officers have taken over the entrance to the Convention Centre, also in protest against non-payment of their salaries and in common with the rest of their fellow municipal employees. This group risk disciplinary procedures against them as they are not allowed by law to go on strike, though there is a question as to whether camping out in the Palacio de Congrasos amounts to a strike. The total amount owed to the workers will soon amount to €10 million; some haven't been paid for over six months! (Note: How are these people supposed to pay for their mortgages, let alone food?) 

Iberia pilots call strike for 18 and 29

Union reps at press conference

SPAIN (Agencies) As we warned here last month, the Iberia pilots union has called a strike for this coming Sunday and the 29th of this month. The airline has announced that it has cancelled some 91 flights on the 18th as a result; if you have a ticket bought through a travel agent, they will deal with it; if you bought it online, you will receive notification from the airline as to how you may be impacted. Flights to Africa are not affected, and on the longer routes (e.g. New York, Miami, Mexico, Buenos Aires) only 17% of the flights are cancelled so far. Subsidiary airlines such as Air Nostrum or Vueling and other shared schedules, will not apparently be affected, and nor will flights to the Canary Islands, which are protected in the 'minimal service' agreements. If the strike is called off, we will tell you right here: watch this space.

'Hot Christmas' for Iberia passengers

SPAIN It looks like the traditional pilots strike at Iberia will not be forgotten this year. Spanish air travellers - and anyone making a connection with Iberia - are probably becoming used to the fact that their Christmas travels will be upset, as they have for the last five years. Travel agents are reporting that the fear of a strike has impacted bookings on the airline, although there are no numbers as yet. In a letter to the company, SEPLA, the union that represents some 1450 of Iberia's pilots, accuses the airline of 'propitiating its break-up' and refuses  arbitration. In fact, the union demands the presence of Willie Walsh, who heads IAG, the parent company of the merger between Iberia and British Airways, 'because he is the person making the decisions since the merger'. 

Bus company staff calls off indefinite strike for 21st

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) The unions representing personnel of the Grupo Ruiz bus company have called off a strike they had planned for Monday next. The reason behind the decision is that the company has ordered payment of wages for October, and a second payment for the extra wages of July. The strike would have affected not only the public transport in Algeciras, Los Barrios and La Línea but also transport at factories, schools and other special services.

Transport strike called for November 21

ALGECIRAS (Agencies) The staff at CTM-Grupo Ruiz, which runs the public transport service in Algeciras, has announced that it will be on Monday, November 21. The reason given by the union representative is that they have not been paid for two wage periods, the extra-ordinary of July and the ordinary for October. Mobilization is scheduled to begin next week, and, if they have not been paid by the 21st, there will be a call for an 'indefinite' strike to begin after that. Both strikes affect public bus transport in Algeciras, Los Barrios and La Línea.

La Línea workers begin strike action by closing off Gibraltar

(Photo: www.europasur.es)

LA LÍNEA (Agencies) Municipal workers demanding back wages staged the first of their planned 'indefinite' one hour strikes by closing off the access to Gibraltar. Although they began at the Palacio de Congresos convention centre, they soon marched to wards the border where they were greeted by a cordon of National Police that stopped the marchers from reaching the Customs area. However, the protesters did eventually get around the cordon and went into the customs area where vehicles come out of Gibraltar. The entrance and exit to and from the Rock was closed off for vehicles during the best part of an hour. One hour strikes and protests are planned for every day for the foreseeable future.

Municipal workers begin one hour daily strikes today

(Photo: EuropaSur.es)

LA LÍNEA (Agencies) Municipal workers voted last week to come out on an 'indefinite' strike to protest that they have not been paid for a variety of weeks, months, extra hours or whatever (take your pick). However, when the vote came to shove, they elected to hold an hour long strike every day. That means that every municipal worker is called to come out to the Palacio de Congresos at noon today for further information. This could cause considerable incovenience to traffic in and out of Gibraltar as the convention centre is on the main seafront street. The workers have reserved the right to change the time and venue for their daily protest, which could mean more demos at the frontier, one of their favourite places to congregate.

La Línea goes on strike on Monday

Voting to strike

LA LÍNEA (Agencies) The two main unions that represent municipal workers in La Línea, Comisiones Obreras (CC. OO.) and Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) decided last week to call a strike because they are owed over €5.2 million in back pay, which the Council is unable to pay. The strike, ratified yesterday, has been called 'indefinite' but by law there must be a schedule of 'minimal service', such as street and school cleaning among other things, the plan for which has been sent to the Junta de Andalucía for approval. Should this not be approved, the Junta must decide on a new one, to which the unions must adhere. Nevertheless, protests at or near the frontier with Gibraltar can be expected as long as this apparently unsolvable - and seemingly eternal - problem is resolved.

Parents call indefinite strike

JIMENA Parents at Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles primary school in Jimena have called an 'indefinite strike' as from this morning. The decision was made on Friday, in protest against the fact that two teachers have been cut from what the parents consider necessary. One of them is a support teacher, whose presence would allow for splitting First Grade (Primero de Primaria), which at present has 28 children in a single inadequate classroom, and the other is a Special Needs assistant to attend to a couple of kids in the class. The strike meant that this morning the parents of the kids impacted most by the (usual, annual) cutbacks asked the rest of the school's parents for their support in not letting their kids into school. Some could not do so as they had to work, or hadn't heard about the circumstances. The strike is expected to continue despite th intervention of Mayor Guillermo Ruiz, who tried in vain to intervene. More photos below)

Bus company employees to stop work for non-payment of salaries; Algeciras and Los Barrios a

CAMPO DE GIBRALTAR (Agencies) Workers at CTM-Grupo Ruiz, the municipal and medium range bus company, have announced they are to stage an indefinite stoppage as from July 22 because they have not yet been paid their June salaries; they also fear that they will not be getting the extra half-annual payment due in July.  The stoppage will impact the urban bus services in Algeciras and Los Barrios, as well as the inter-urban ones, including the route to La Linea, and the services to the Guadiaro Valley on up to Jimena and San Pablo, plus any 'discretional' or pre-contracted services. The company says that the ayuntamientos are not paying them but they are nevertheless trying to negotiate loans to meet the salaries.

Sánchez is 'convinced' there will not be a strike over Easter

Alejandro Sánchez

LA LÍNEA (Agencies) Mayor Alejandro Sánchez stated yesterday that 'peace and quiet will reign' over the Easter Holidays, even though the Council and the municipal workers' unions (UGT, CCOO, USO and SPPME-A) were unable to reach an agreement on back payment of salaries. The disagreement came about despite the intervention of  the Servicio Extrajudicial de Resolución de Conflictos Laborales de Andalucía (Sercla in its Spanish acronym), the official arbitration service for labour conflicts, an obligatory process before a strike is called. A decision was to be made this morning. Watch this space. (In any case, should a strike be called, be aware that pickets tend to demonstrate near the border, causing traffic chaos.)

Schools re-open tomorrow, municipal workers meet with administrators for possible solution to strike action

LA LINEA (Agencies/Photo: EuropaSur) Pimary schools in La Linea will be open tomorrow, Monday, having undergone thorough cleaning over last week, with only two left to be cleaned today. They had been closed by the Education Council because they were in a filthy state (as we reported here). The reason behind their closure, and the filth, was that municipal employees began a 'permanent assembly' (read strike) at the Council offices because most if not all have not been paid for over  three months (which we reported here). However, union representatives for the employees held a meeting with the Council negotiators, and have agreed to hold a vote tomorrow, Monday, on whether the negotiated payment schedule is accepted.

FACUA files EU complaint against Government over air traffic controllers strike

(Agencies/Photo: FACUA website) The consumer organization, FACUA, announced this morning that it has filed complaints with the EU "so travellers can get their money back", according to a press release this afternoon. The organization will try to establish a class action suit in two phases. The first includes filing complaints the airlines, the controllers' unions and the Spanish Government.>

Spanish DPP to request prison for air traffic controllers

SPAIN (Agencies) The head of Spain's DPP (Fiscalía General del Estado), Cándido Conde-Pumpido (photo), said this morning that he will be requesting up to eight years in prison for air traffic controllers who abandoned their work stations and are to be charged with sedition. Conde-Pumpido made the announcement at an interview just before entering a meeting of public prosecutors in Zaragoza this morning. On the urgent agenda was the air controllers wildcat strike of last weekend and its penal repercussions.

La Línea pays remaining 27% of September salaries

LA LINEA (EuropaSur) Mayor Alejandro Sánchez announced yesterday that the remaining 27% of municipal employees' salaries for September had been paid. Responding to a question from the new Local Police Union, at an extraordinary Council meeting, he added that as far as October is concerned, "we will do what we can." The announcement was made at a meeting that started with the removal of UGT and USO union protesters who were accused by the mayor of not allowing 'the democratic process' to continue.

Municipal workers call off strike, hold demos in the afternoons instead

LOS BARRIOS (Agencies) The municipal employees returned to work this morning after their union officially called off the 'indefinite' strike that began on November 8. Although the cause of the strike is not yet resolved (non-payment of salaries for October, two months' worth for the staff at Radiotelevisión Los Barrios), an accumulated stoppage of two weeks has begun to seriously affect their pockets, as two weeks on strike adds up to almost a months' wages when including social security payments, etc.. Instead of the work stoppage, the employees will hold daily demonstrations from five to six in the afternoon, today being the first. Union delegates, however, will continue to hold their own daily demos at 10am. Some 50 such delegates had locked themselves into the Council chamber for some 50 days, which began on September 28.