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Spain set for strikes
24 - 30 SEPTEMBER 2010
Six years of waiting
Socialist Coastal Councillor, Rosa Martinez, has denounced the Orihuela Town Hall for allowing an area on the coast to exist in total disrepair. • p5
Road safety workshops prove popular
Nearly 300 ten and eleven year olds from the San Javier municipality have been attending road safety workshops this week, primarily aimed at enforcing the importance of road safety, especially the wearing of seat belts. • p11
by Louise Clarke
Welcome to the no-nannying state So what is this ‘Big Society’ about? The new terminology adopted by the Coalition government gives us another phrase to play with. • p29
Growing fruit and nuts
Clodagh and Dick Handscombe continue with their helpful hints and information for your gardens in Spain. • p46
The delights of Delhi? Newspapers in India have run headlines such as ‘National Shame’ with the Times of India arguing that those responsible should be indentified and brought to book. • p60
Retiring Queen Lily (left) and 2010 Queen Tia Mimi
Viva San Miguel! SATURDAY EVENING saw the official San Miguel Queens’ Coronation ceremony take place at the Church Square and RTN’s Louise Clarke witnessed her daughter, Lily, handing over her duties as ‘Reina Infantil’ to seven year old Tia Mimi Bacon. Turn to page 12 for the full story.
PUBLIC SECTOR workers such as Town Hall officials, teachers, transport workers and hospital staff will be amongst the millions of people taking part in next week’s General Strike. Spanish unions have called a general strike in response to labour market reforms and confirmed that the strike will take place next Wednesday, 29th September, to coincide with the European ‘Day of Action’. The strike comes after the Spanish socialist government announced a series of austerity measures including an average 5% pay cut for public workers during 2010. Despite strike action, the government is pressing ahead with the reforms. And like many other European governments, they have introduced the cuts in order to help the economy recover after a very deep recession and a surge in unemployment, which has seen the rate in Spain reach more than 20%. Union
bosses, including the UGT Leader, Candido Mendez, have said the changes would favour businesses and will, in turn, harm the rights of workers as the measures include enabling employers to hire and fire more easily. In June, more than a million Spaniards marched through the streets of Madrid to protest against the austerity measures, which also will see automatic inflation adjustments for pensions suspended; payouts for parents on the birth of their children scrapped; and funding to regional governments cut by €1.2 billion. Spanish unions have said that they expect between 75-80% of public sector workers to join in Wednesday’s day-long strike. And the government and unions remain at loggerheads with regards to the likely disruption caused to internal and international flights and train services. Continued on page 4