Spain’s two largest unions CCOO and UGT have called for people to take to the streets on Wednesday, May 1, ‘Labour Day’. The unions do this with the slogan ‘menos jornada y mejores salarios’ or ‘fewer hours, better salaries’.
With 2,977,900 people still unemployed in Spain and an unemployment rate of 12.3%, Spain is still dealing with millions of people who cannot find a job. On the other hand, almost 21.25 million inhabitants of Spain do work and have a job, which is a percentage of 58.6%.
But high unemployment is not the only problem in Spain because on top of that there is sky-high inflation, which means that the low salaries are no longer enough to pay the high costs. That’s why the trade unions CCOO and UGT that their members take to the streets of the main cities, something that traditionally happens every year on May 1, the ‘Día del trabajo’.
This year’s slogan actually already indicates why people are taking to the streets. ‘menos jornada y mejores salarios’ or ‘fewer hours, better salaries’. As always, the largest event will take place in Madrid on Wednesday, May 1 at 12 noon, where people will walk from Gran Vía to the Plaza de España and end at the Puerta del Sol.
May 1 is a public holiday in almost all European countries, including Spain and Belgium (Labour Day), but strangely enough not in the Netherlands. As always, a link can be made with a Catholic festival, such as in this case the day of Saint Joseph as a worker. However, May Day celebrations as a celebration of the labor movement are also based on the introduction of the eight-hour working day, something that was frequently introduced in Europe at the end of the 19th century, first in Great Britain and then in other countries.
In Spain, the ‘Día Internacional de los Trabajadores’ or ‘Primero de Mayo’ is a national holiday and therefore a day off throughout the country. However, it is also a day on which Spanish trade unions call to demonstrate against the government and demand better working conditions. However, many Spaniards do not care much about demonstrations etc. and simply enjoy a nice day off with the family.
Netherlands and Belgium
In the Netherlands, ‘Labor Day’ is only an official holiday on the BES islands (Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba). Traditionally, meetings were organized by the SDAP (later PvdA) and the CPN. Until the 1980s, the CPN held an annual demonstration in Amsterdam on May 1. For many decades, May 1 has been a day off for employees of the municipality of Amsterdam.
In many countries (including Belgium, France and Spain), May 1 is a paid day off. In the Netherlands this does not generally apply to workers, but it does apply to a small group of civil servants, banks and stock exchange traders. Union employees are also free on this day. Today, the keynote of ‘Labor Day’ is the feeling of international solidarity.
