Spaniards strike and march over cuts and reforms

Spaniards staged a general strike and took to the streets yesterday in anger at labour reforms, spending cuts and soaring unemployment, prompting scuffles with police.

Police charged and arrested hooded rioters and bins were set on fire in Barcelona while there were some face-offs in Madrid. Later in the evening police fired rubber bullets to disperse crowds as a group set fire to a cafe in Barcelona and a shop on the sidelines of a general strike.

Officers shot smoke cannisters and fired rubber bullets into the ground so they would ricochet into people’s legs, TV pictures showed, as a rubbish container burned in a city street.

“The mobile brigade unit had to intervene and has used rubber bullets. They shoot at the ground and they bounce off so they only hit the legs,” said a Catalan interior ministry spokesman.

Earlier yesterday thousands of workers under union banners picketed businesses and transport hubs, while other groups staged bicycle rallies, slowing traffic, as police deployed in large numbers.

“No turning back... General strike!” protesters yelled, wearing stickers that read: “No to the labour reform of cheap lay-offs.”

It was the first national strike to challenge Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who was sworn in 100 days ago vowing to cut Spain’s 23-per cent unemployment rate and fix its faltering finances.

Ministers today are adopting a 2012 budget set to axe tens of billions of euros in spending, adding to cuts that have already squeezed public services.

Mr Rajoy has warned the budget will be “very austere”.

Candido Mendez, leader of the UGT union, told reporters today’s budget would be “unfair, useless in the fight against the economic crisis, and could become a battering ram to increase the destruction of employment”.

Spain’s major CCOO and UGT unions called the strike over the right-leaning government’s February 11 labour reform which makes it cheaper to lay off staff and easier to cut salaries.

They planned protests in 100 towns and cities.

Minimum service agreements kept schools and hospitals open, ensuring 30 percent of trains and buses ran, and allowed some planes to fly despite Iberia, Air Nostrum and Vueling cancelling two-thirds of flights.

Unions claimed a big turnout especially in factories, but interior ministry policy chief Cristina Diaz said fewer people took part than in the last general strike in September 2010.