The winds of revolutionary change are blowing across Spain’s union landscape. Circulo Podemos Sindicalistas, Somos Sindicalistas and Ganemos CCOO are three new initiatives just launched. They call for a grassroots combative style of unionism that contrasts with the dialogue and agreement approach heretofore adopted by the largest unions, the CCOO and the UGT and which have been dominant since the end of the Franco era. They have both been held responsible for managing austerity and they are both as tarnished by corruption scandals as are the political classes.
The conflict within the union world is linked to the surge in popularity of the Podemos party (We are able). Set up in the spring of 2014 its message of disillusionment with the ‘old political system’ that it judges to be inefficient and corrupt regardless of political leaning has been instrumental in its spectacular rise in popularity. In the space of just a few months polls already make the party a favorite prompting excitement about a participatory democracy that listens to citizens. The unions are not being spared from criticism and are seen as stakeholders in the established left, managers of the austerity policy and incapable of developing an alternative route.
Do you have information to share with us?