Jun
11
8000 Spanish miners strike against cuts
Filed Under EN
A MINERS’ STRIKE in the Spanish province of
Asturias has paralysed much of northern Spain with more than 8,000 coal miners taking
to the barricades and picket lines.
Sixteen main roads and motorways have been
blocked by barricades for the past two weeks while two railway lines have also
been shut down.
There have also been numerous clashes with
police both in Asturias and in the Spanish capital of Madrid, where 10,000 miners’
supporters marched last week. Asturias is located between Galicia and the
Basque Country.
The strikers want a reversal of a recently-announced cut of €190million in subsidies to the mining
sector by the conservative Spanish Government. Miners say the cuts will result
in the collapse of the mining sector as Spanish coal will become too expensive,
leaving it unable to compete against cheaper foreign coal. The subsidy cut
affects 40 mines, almost all located in Asturias.
Dozens of police and striking miners have
been hurt in clashes and scores of arrests have been made.
Some
miners have occupied a mineshaft while supporters are camped out in the main
square in the Asturian capital of Oviedo.
Miners in Wales have publicly pledged their support to the Spanish strikers in a sign of international solidarity.
Unemployment in Spain stands at almost 25%
and is continuing to increase due to the EU-imposed austerity programme.
The traditional coal-mining region of
Asturias has a history of militant protest and opposition to right-wing
governments. In 1934, an uprising in the region led by striking miners was
crushed by the fascist General Franco. More than 1,500 miners and 200 civilians
were killed, along with 280 Spanish troops and police.
Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.