Indefinite strike by miners in Spain

Posted by: dimitriswright Posted date: June 11, 2012 In: Movement, Videos | comment : 1

By Lupax
1st of May, 1962. The dictator Franco organizes a pompous and festive spectacle for workers from all over the State for Labor day. In this way, the Regime presents itself as a machine for peace between social classes. But behind this apparent harmony, the miners in Asturias have been striking for already a month. This social conflict became one of the biggest challenges that the dictator had to confront since the end of the Spanish Civil War, and it soon expanded to the whole state, despite attempts to conceal the scope of the protests. A few months later, the conflict resulted in direct negotiations between the Minister of Labour, José Solís Ruiz, and representatives of the strike, bypassing the official unions established by the regime, which was the beginning of a new form of workers’ organizations in Spain.

1st of June, 2012. Just a couple of months after the 50th anniversary of these protests, the miners of Asturias, León and Aragón, decide to start a new indefinite strike called by the main labor unions, UGT and CCOO, in answer to the government announcement about cuts in the “Plan del Carbón [Coal Plan]“. The Coal plan was a commitment made by the former government to assist the sector economically until 2014 and that was going to be extended until 2018. The current Minister of Industry decided to cut the budget with 63%, though, which will render the exploitation of coal inviable in the whole of Spain. At the same time, projects for the revitalization of economical alternatives of the mining areas are put on hold. This measure will affect all the mining regions: Asturias, Castilla y León, Aragón and Cataluña. If these cuts are implemented, between 8.000 and 12.000 people will lose their jobs this year.

Since the 1st of June, the miners’ strikes have been joined by actions from other sectors, such as the strike of public transport in Asturias, demonstration against cuts in education last week in Aragón, pharmacies on indefinite strike… The miners held a demonstration in Madrid with representatives from all political parties of the affected regions. The Minister of Industry, José Manuel Soria, invited their unions for a meeting last week, but because only one representative per union was allowed in, the commission members chained themselves to the doors of the Ministery in protest. A group of miners locked themselves into the shafts of Asturias. Another group locked themselves into the Diputación de León [Provincial Council of Leon].

The mountains and villages of the region are turning into a battlefield between protesters and police. The protests are now focused on closing roads and railways. More than a hundred roads have been blocked these days. The Spanish Railway Company, Renfe, had to suspend the train line between Asturias and Leon for whole days, due to “trees on the rails”. In Ciñera, León, a few days ago, the riot police charged protesters in the center of the village, injuring non-protesters, including the mayor. At a national level, this news was only covered by SER radio and Europa Press.

The main stream media in Spain is only providing superficial information about what is going on. The best way of finding information about it is in regional press (www.diariodeleon.com, http://mas.lne.es/en-directo/huelgas-en-la-mineria/) and social networks (Twitter: @Mineros_Leon and @Losminerosencer).
These protests should not be understood simply as a struggle to conserve the practice of mining. After all, working conditions are extremely hard, the labour structures are very hierarchical and the industry is highly polluting. To the miners, however, their work is not just a way of earning one’s bread. It is also deeply rooted in the culture and customs of the local communities they belong to. Once mining stops, young people will leave the towns to look for a future elsewhere. Some attention should be paid towards finding decent (economic) alternatives, before a whole social structure is demolished. That is why the struggle should be understood in terms of the precariousness of labor and unemployment, particularly in rural areas.

After a rest this weekend, miners started the protests again this week. If the government doesn’t take any steps towards negotiations this week, there will be a general strike on the 18th of June in which commerce, education, transport and all the other sectors of the miners’ regions will be called upon to stop their activities.