The streets of France have been burning for weeks against pension reform. almost all roads Germany Last Monday, they were cut off by a public transport strike – for the first time in decades – to demand better fares. And there was another stigma like this. Portugal, where transport, education and health workers escalate a conflict – which has been developing for months – to levels of commitment similar to those of the troika years. And on the other side of the English Channel, the country’s Prime Minister United KingdomRishi Sunak actually launched the position at the beginning of the year with a wave of strikes in the public sector.
With half of Europe taking to the streets, Spain is an ‘oasis’ of social peace with the lowest strike cases in decades, and an idyll is living between the Government and the unions that have agreed on each of these in this legislature. issues they are discussing. Why this ‘Iberian exception’? Do the French, Germans, Portuguese and British have more reasons to go out than the Spaniards?
If the degree of social protests were directly proportional to the socio-economic conditions of each country, it would be incomprehensible that mass demonstrations were in the north rather than the south of Europe. Spain saves rates unemployment And youth unemployment highest in the ‘Old Continent’, one of the highest poor workersthat is, even though they have a job, they cannot reach the end of the month and one of the highest retirement ages.
In other words, the Spaniards are historically more loaded than the reasons for the French, German, Portuguese and British curfews. However, the roots of all protests are not only material. If not, tell them Karl Marxpredicting that the communist revolution would break out in industrial Germany and take place in agriculture. Russia. Subjective circumstances and perspective are also decisive factors. It affects not only where we are, but also where we come from.
Inflation has been punishing workers in Europe for over a year, especially intensifying after the outbreak of the epidemic. ukraine war. HE cost of living it is getting more expensive day by day and according to the latest core inflation data, this shows no signs of decreasing in the short term. In recent months, however, the CPI in Spain has moderated more sharply than in the rest of the eurozone countries. Germany, the United Kingdom and Portugal currently record significantly higher rates than Spain.
The Spaniards saw how life became more expensive for them and their salaries often did not increase at the same rate. However, the Government approves a number of measures, such as a 20 cent discount on fuel or a VAT reduction on food. “A professor of applied economics at UB gave people the feeling that the government was doing something to alleviate the situation.” Raul Ramos.
The most publicized protests these days are taking place in France. Emmanuel Macron unilaterally postponed the retirement age 62 to 64 years. The country of Gaul is currently traversing the paths that Spain has passed through for days, and restricts the rights of its retirees, which Spain has restricted for days – in the name of the collective sustainability of the system. The protests of these days against the tenant of the Élysée are not much different—perhaps more vigorous and long-lasting—from those of the past. Mariano Rajoy In 2013, when he cut his pensions in the future.
The legal retirement age in Spain is 67, one of the highest in the ‘Old Continent’, the legacy of Spain’s last Government. Jose Luis Rodriguez ZapateroIn 2011 it managed to negotiate with unions and employers to raise this retirement threshold. Faced with this Spanish consensus, Macron encountered some unions that went against his theses and fought him in the streets to force him to abandon his reform.
The reform approved by Congress last Thursday has little to do with French reform. “The reform conceived by the Minister [José Luis] Escrivá has become much more gradual and people don’t perceive it as a cut because it distributes costs quite a bit,” Ramos thinks, with a CPI revaluation of pensions. 10 million retirees their salary increased 8.5% It’s not the fuel to go out to protest this year.
Spanish unions argue that the lower level of conflict in Spain is explained not by comparisons between countries where Spain has historically failed, but rather by how these have developed in recent years. “The social epidemic has been stopped, in part, thanks to the agreement in the European Union. labor reform and in it pensions. However, if there is no agreement with the USA, this epidemic may accelerate. protector Union policy secretary of the UGT of Catalonia, “on wages”, Nuria Gilgado.
It is an objective fact that Spain has the highest unemployment rate in the European Union. The total number of people currently employed in Spain is also at an all-time high. “Recruitment data with labor reform in 2022 is amazing. Thousands of young people are getting jobs for the first time. Indefinite contract. It creates a sense of change that we are going to get better nonetheless,” says CCOO de Catalunya trade union action secretary, Christina Torre.
Other voices, this little social conflict This is because unlike other countries like France, Spain has a trade union model that tends to be more deal-making and doesn’t shock too much. Or that they have less organizational power compared to their membership numbers, as in Germany. The cocktail between high unemployment levels and a small number of vacancies does nothing to lessen fears of being fired if less-essential workers protest.
“Our production model is very different, with a much greater weight of SMEs and the service sector, where historically unionization levels have been much lower than large companies and industry,” says Col·legi’s labor relations commission chairman. economists, Nieves Rabasso.
One of the focal points of the protests in Europe is the public sector, as in Germany and the UK. While there, the centers sought a confrontation with their governments—both against the social democrats. Olaf Schölz against the ‘story’ Rishi Altar-, majority unions in Spain reached an agreement with Pedro Sánchez. salaries authorities will go up to one 9.5% accumulated Between 2022 and 2024, it’s a figure that will mean a loss of purchasing power for public workers in the short term, but the center’s confidence in the overall deal will be diluted.
Another dampener of the protests is the recent increase. interprofessional minimum wage Approved by the government (SMI) Pedro Sanchez. The executive has made a political flag with it, and the most precarious workers have seen how their minimum income threshold has risen dramatically over the past five years. Since Sánchez was at Moncloa, which is SMI today 1,080 € gross increased by almost 50% (in 14 payments), this is the biggest increase between Germany, France or Portugal. Despite this, Spain continues to have one of the highest rates of working poverty in the entire EU.
The only wing that Spanish unions threaten to break this social oasis is now the private sector. CCOO and UGT fail to reach a salary agreement with the big employer CEOE. They are now abandoned first day of may negotiating despite threatening to escalate sectoral conflicts if they see no sign of agreement after that date.