Spain hit by first general strike under Rajoy gov't
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E-mail Xinhua, March 30, 2012
Spain experienced its first general strike on Thursday since Mariano Rajoy won the general election on Nov. 20.
The country's labor unions called the strike in protest at the labor reforms introduced by Rajoy's government in February and also at the wide-ranging spending cuts implemented by the new prime minister to reduce Spain's deficit.
The unions argue that the labor reforms will make it easier for companies to sack workers, instead of intending to create employment as Rajoy and his ministers insist, given that the reform has slashed the compensation a company has to pay for laying off members of the workforce.
The government reacted to the strike, which the unions say was followed by 77 percent of the workforce, by insisting there will be no changes to their labor reforms and by saying the effect of the strike 'has been moderate throughout the day,' and added that the economic effect of the strike is less than in other strikes.
The strike concentrated in Spain's industrial sector but was more limited in the commercial and public sectors and it ended up in demonstrations in the main Spanish cities.
The day ended with several people injured and 176 arrests and with the labor unions UGT and CC.OO highlighting their disagreement with the labor reforms.
Sources from the Ministry of the Interior said that a total of 800,000 people took part in the demonstrations which closed the day throughout Spain, while the unions insist that the figure was much higher.
Both the government and the unions have pointed to the intense demand for electricity throughout the day to back up their version of events.
Electricity use is a vital indicator of economic activity, given that its use helps illustrate the amount of economic activity being carried out in the country.
Electricity use on Thursday was on the level with most public holidays in Spain, although slightly above that seen in the last general strike in September 2010.
This Friday will be another important day for the government as it discusses the budget for 2012. The budget will almost certainly be very austere with Rajoy proposing that governmental ministries have to face spending cuts of around 15 percent.
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