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Title: General strike in Spain
Author: Mike
Date: 1994
Language: en
Topics: general strike, Spain, reportback, Workers Solidarity
Source: Retrieved on 15th November 2021 from http://struggle.ws/ws94/spain41.html
Notes: Published in Workers Solidarity No. 41 — Spring 1994.

Mike

General strike in Spain

SPAIN WAS closed down by a general strike in January. Very little

mention of it appeared in the Irish media. An Irish worker in Barcelona,

and activist in the anarchist National Confederation of Labour (CNT-AIT)

union, sent us this report.

“Thursday 27^(th) was the General Strike, called by the ‘socialist’ UGT

union against the minority ‘socialist’ government elected only six

months before. It was against a package of anti-worker laws, being

passed by 90% of the parliament. Laws introducing short-term ‘rubbish’

work contacts, making it simple to fire workers and condemning under 25s

to ‘apprenticeships’ on starvation wages. Afterwards the unions claimed

90% had come out, while the government and bosses claimed 30%. Details

below are from the alternative Radio Contrabanda. The regular media put

out a pack of lies.

NO WORK TODAY

“7.00am Barcelona... tens of thousands of police have occupied the city.

(35,000 in Madrid). Fights with cops at the main metro stations. No

local trains running. The Metro is reduced to ‘emergency levels’ laid

down by decree. No buses. 5% of taxis running. The port is closed. No

newspapers. All industrial areas are picketed and 95% closed for the

day.

“Small shops and bars begin to open. 10.00am... little traffic, Sunday

levels. Universities and most state schools deserted. Fights begin with

thousands of pickets to prevent the big department stores opening.

Finally most are opened plus many offices and banks, despite glued

locks.

“Reports from workers’ areas say all is stopped and from rich areas that

all is open. Hardly any international or local trains or planes.

Tourists have to serve themselves in hotels. Private colleges open.

Police block roads to prevent people marching into the city, but fail.

Atmosphere generally calm. Pickets touring the city trying to persuade

small shops to close. Some do, though others stay open. Wholesale and

local markets almost deserted.

COPS ATTACK ANARCHISTS

“Various demonstrations begin around the city, building to one of

200,000 (55,000 say the cops). In Madrid the estimates go up to 500,000.

The Barcelona demo had a fiesta atmosphere until the end. Then the cops

attacked the CNT-AIT section. This led to running fights and burning

barricades in the back streets. Lots of plain clothes cops swamp the

city and we go home. 30 arrests in all.

“In other cities the story was similar. Most radical perhaps were the

mining areas of Asturias where everything closed and there were lots of

barricades. (One reason for barricades was to stop incidents like that

in nearby Burgos where a picket was run over and killed).

“In the Basque capital, Bilbao, open street warfare was reported. But

the press ignored these areas in favour of long condemnations by

politicians. The Catalan President threatened to withdraw support for

the minority ‘socialists’ and let them fall if one comma of the

anti-worker is changed.

“So what does it all mean? Lost a day’s pay.. said some, fucking great..

said others.. while the general feeling was that solidarity is essential

in the ever deepening crisis (20% unemployed now). The huge crowds of

young people on the streets were certainly having a ball... tasting

workers’ power maybe for the first time.