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TUC letter to Spanish PM: change course now

Issue date
Solidarity with Spanish workers

Letter to the Spanish President

November 2012

As part of the run up to the 14 November ETUC Day of Action against austerity, for jobs and growth, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber has written formally to the Spanish Prime Minister - at the request of Spanish trade unions - calling on the President 'and the rest of the European leaders and institutions, for a policy change. We demand measures that foster growth and create employment.'

Sr. D. Mariano Rajoy Brey
Presidente del Gobierno de España
Palacio de la Moncloa
28071 Madrid
Spain

Mr. President

Austerity in Spain

As General Secretary of the TUC, the representative voice of people at work in Britain, I am writing to you to express my concerns, and those of the workers that I represent, about the circumstances that have led the Spanish trade unions to call for a general strike on 14 November.

The consequences of the austerity policies are devastating for workers and citizens in many European countries, among them Spain. During the recent annual meeting of the IMF in Tokyo, some of its officials brought into question the efficacy of the austerity policies being implemented in several countries, explicitly referring to the case of Spain. The injustice and inefficiency of these measures, which the unions have always warned against, have been already proven. The measures adopted by the government over which you preside are clearly self defeating as the macroeconomic indicators have shown. The persistent recession that now affects Spain has provoked a rise in unemployment, less tax collection and dwindling confidence, among other things.

These austerity policies, such as measures on co-payments for healthcare, cuts in healthcare, social services, dependency aid and education; the reduction of the salaries of civil servants; cuts in the unemployment allowances; the privatisation of the railways, etc, are all extremely antisocial. They are having alarming consequences for Spanish citizens and workers. Social exclusion is now a reality in Spain: 13 million people (27% of the population) are living below the poverty line. More than 2 million children grow up in poor households.

Finally, Spanish workers are already suffering the effects of the last labour law reform that your government put in place. As a consequence, unemployment and industrial disputes are on the rise.

In this context let me ask you, and the rest of the European leaders and institutions, for a policy change. We demand measures that foster growth and create employment: a change in the economic model with a shift towards sustainable development grounded in a dynamic and competitive industrial sector that is based on investment in R&D, and in an education system that stands up for quality and equity.

Social dialogue and social consensus are key elements and have to be re-established in order to ensure democracy. Europe needs an economically strong, socially fair and democratically sound Spain.

Yours sincerely

BRENDAN BARBER

General Secretary

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