On May 23, Saturday, workers and progressive sections across Spain demonstrated in major cities demanding the protection of workers’ rights and for an urgent social emergency plan to tackle the COVID-19 crisis. Various trade unions and parties, including the Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) and Committees for Workers Unity (CUO), participated in the mobilizations.
According to reports, demonstrations were organized in Madrid, Las Palmas, Tenerife, Almería, Granada, Aguilar de la Frontera, Puente Genil, Málaga, Huelva, Cádiz, Sevilla, Murcia, Alacant, Valencia, Barcelona, Olot, Lleida, and Barakaldo y Casteldefells.
Criticizing the government, the PCPE stated, “We have reached a record unemployment figure, both in temporary terms and in net job destruction, with an alarming rise in poverty, with 1.1 million families having all their members unemployed and more than 600,000 households without any income”.
“Along with these facts, we have plenty of other reasons also to carry out the aforementioned mobilizations to demand decent work, rights, public services and an urgent social emergency plan,” the statement added.
The CUO said, “We joined the initiative on 23rd to demand an urgent plan for social rescue and to say loudly and clearly that the crisis is not going to be paid for by the working people.”
As per the PCPE, each demonstration was limited to 50 participants and was in adherence to the COVID-19 safety protocols, with a minimum distance of two meters between people who were wearing masks and gloves.
