Spain: unions, associations and NGOs join forces to defend the Spanish social model

Civil society mobilizing.  Until now, the two big Spanish unions, UGT and Workers’ Commissions, organized street opposition to the plans of the Mariano Rajoy administration.  They called for mobilization against the labor law reform and budget austerity as the only answer to the crisis.  For months, they have been protesting against what they view as the destruction of public services and the end of the Spanish social system, built over the past 30 years on the basis of dialogue and negotiation.  Neither unionists’ meeting requests nor the general strike of March 29 have inflected the government.  Because the latter is not answering, unions have decided to extend mobilization via associations.  They are relying on the creation of the Social Platform defending social protection and public services, released on April 24, which ties them to associations and action groups active on the social field, defending public health and education rights, dependency assistance or support to immigrants or left-out minorities.  This Platform was created to unite struggles organized at local level or in specific sectors and to be heard at national level.  It is also a way for unions to break the deadlock they have been in since negotiations with the government failed.  Thus, they are trying to reassert their legitimacy and their everyday involvement in the field, when part of the public opinion believes that they are mostly defending their own corporatist interests.