30 September, 2010European metalworkers joined millions of workers and trade unions from other sectors across Europe on September 29 to respond en masse to the European Trade Union Confederation's call to struggle against the austerity measures pursued by European governments
GLOBAL: Under the slogan "No to austerity, priority to jobs and growth" the European Day of Action took place mainly in the streets of Spain and Belgium, and Ireland, Italy and Poland, to demonstrate the workers' concerns and to fight for jobs in European manufacturing industries.
The current austerity measures threaten the fragile recovery in the industries and are leading to greater deindustrialization in Europe and a deep social recession. The European Metalworkers' Federation called for a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT) for investment and jobs to keep industries afloat.
Many governments across the 27-member bloc have imposed punishing cuts in wages, pensions and employment to deal with spiraling debts.
The protest included the Spanish trade unions' general strike - the first in eight years. They are protesting against a five per cent average reduction in wages this year, part of the Spanish government's austerity cuts worth 15 billion Euros, passed by a very small majority in Spanish government this year.
In Spain, 10 million people, more than 70 per cent of the workforce was on strike, said IMF affiliates UGT and CCOO. They were protesting in the streets of several Spanish cities.
The secretaries of the Organization of the CCOO and UGT, José Antonio del Campo and Javier Cubillo, have criticized the "brutality" of police raids on union picket lines, something that has not happened in previous strikes. In total, more than 40 people have been arrested. Some have been released, but others remain in police custody waiting to testify.
In Brussels at least 50,000 workers took part in the ETUC's demonstrations. About 50 trade unions from around Europe sent representatives to the Brussels march, as many as from 30 countries, with the demonstration culminated in the city's European quarter near the headquarters of the EU Commission and the European Council.
Some workers were dressed in black suits with black face masks, carrying umbrellas and briefcases, acting as the head of a funeral cortege mourning the death of Europe. EU workers may become the biggest victims of a financial crisis set off by bankers and traders.
Other actions also happened in Portugal, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Serbia, Romania, Poland, Ireland and France.
EMF reports on the day can be seen here.