PSOE with their banner. | Miquel À. Cañellas

TW

Yesterday's fine weather attracted some 3,000 people to the Labour Day rally and festivities in Palma. It was in stark contrast to last year when a downpour curtailed events.

The march from Plaça Espanya was followed by a party in the Parc de la Mar. Prominent were union leaders and politicians. Leading lights from PSOE took part, as did the president of the Council of Majorca, Miquel Ensenyat. There were representatives from, among others, forest firefighters, prison officers and associations for older people. Chants along the route of the march included those referring to the general election. One was "no to Rivera". Albert Rivera is the leader of Ciudadanos. There is still some talk of a PSOE pact with the Cs despite both parties having ruled one out.

President Armengol stressed the fact that the Labour Day rally had come straight after the election and that it reinforced the coming-together of parties from the left. There was a great deal to celebrate, she noted, such as the creation of 70,000 jobs since 2015.

There is still much to do, she added, in terms of stable employment, good salaries, decent pensions and the quality of public services. Others on the rally called for the repeal of labour laws, pension reform and an end to "criminalising the right to go on strike". There were also demands in respect of reform of the judicial system, measures to increase the availability of affordable rented accommodation and an economic model which recognises that "our planet is not a well with unlimited resources".