MILLIONS of workers in the Spanish state heeded the call for a general strike on on 27 January. Nearly all industry and transport was shut down, and up to 50 per cent of small shops closed.
The scope of the mobilisation can be seen from the size of the evening demonstration in Barcelona - 130,000 in a city the size of Manchester!. Similar demonstrations were held all been over the country.
Fiving pickets were out in all the main cities and in front of all the main factories. beat off the challenge from The strike was called by the Spain's main right wing party in two main union federations, the last year's elections. Workers Commissions and the United Labour Federation. They was precisely the workers who were protesting against govern- last year rallied to the defence of ment plans to restrict social se- the government who were carrycurity and employment rights. ing out the general strike.
A key political force in the Austerity movement for a strike was the United Left, a broad coalition led The Socialist Party governby the main wing of the former ment of Felipe Gonzalez has Communist Party. of the most The United Left has shown 'Thatcherite' in Europe, presiditself capable of winning more ing over austerity and very high than 10 per cent of the votes in national elections.
Despite that, the Socialists Commentators noted that it NO SIGN of consensus in LEICESTER, where 2,000 students rallied on January 20 as part of a national day of action in protest at Tory plans to slash grants by 30%. The protest was backed by teachers' unions NATHE, AUT and NUT.
SOCIALIST OUTLOOK No. 56, February 5 1994, Page 4 Redundancy threat in the post