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General strike in Basque Country of Spain

12 June 2009

Transport workers joined other trade unionists in a mass general strike across the Basque Country to demand that workers be protected from the impact of the economic crisis.

Members of the ITF-affiliated ELA Hainbat union, actively participated in the action on 21 May across the Basque Country – in areas such as Alava, Bizkaia,  Guipozkoa and Nafarroa. The strike, which was organised jointly by ELA Hainbat and other Basque unions, disrupted transport networks in the region – from  ports and trains to underground networks and other urban transport routes – as only minimum services ran.

The workers were demanding that the government prevent the negative effects of the economic crisis from adversely affecting employees and lobbying for a new economic model, where government policies support the interests and rights of workers.

Gurutz Gorraiz, ELA Hainbat general secretary, commenting on the main achievements of the strike, said: "The general strike of 21 May in the Basque Country has provided a space for reflection and debate in Basque society. We were able to stand up for our rights as workers to ensure that the brutal effects of unemployment are minimised.”

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