The Spanish winter

Balearic union leaders yesterday filed the necessary papers for the region to join the second general strike of the year on November 14.
As the Prime Minister, under pressure from overseas yesterday to go for the bailout, continues to flip flop over taking the rescue package which is lying on a table somewhere in Brussels, the Balearics and Spain will be joining Portugal, Greece, Malta and Cyprus in a pan-European general strike and union and social leaders are calling on everybody to join the demonstration because the cuts introduced by the government are affecting the lives of every single person living in Spain.

And, what is worrying is that union sources are hinting at this general strike being just the beginning of a winter of public discontent on the streets.

Union leaders yesterday accused the regional and national governments of “being aggressive towards the public”, hinting that it is time for the public to give back as good as it has got so far and that could lead to scenes similar to those we have witnessed on the streets of Greece over the past few months.

So far, the Spanish public have taken what the government has dished out, but the rhetoric coming from the unions and other organisations suggest that the situation could turn rather nasty over the coming months with millions of households looking forward to a miserable Christmas and New Year.