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20 June, 2002Millions of people supported trade union calls for general strikes on June 20.
SPAIN: Spanish trade unions say 10 million people followed their call for a general strike on Thursday June 20. Union leaders told a big rally in Madrid that there would be further action if the government did not back down over changes that tightened unemployment benefits.
The one-day strike was aimed at causing maximum embarrassment for conservative Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar ahead of the European Union summit in Seville on Friday.
The two main unions involved, UGT and Comisiones Obreras, said more than 80% of employees had stayed away from work, government sources claimed less than 20%.