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ARCHIVED - Thousands take to the streets in Murcia to demand salary increases
Workers and unions in the Murcia Region demand urgent intervention in the face of rising inflation
May 1, Labour Day, was marked by sunny skies and soaring temperatures all across Spain but this didn’t stop people turning out in droves throughout the country to demand national salary increases. Feelings were mixed in Murcia, where demonstrators in the Gran Via applauded the strides made during the pandemic, such as the Covid ERTE scheme, the teleworking law and the rise in wages, while several unions present, such as the Workers' Commissions, UGT and USO called for continuing improvements to employment law and even higher salaries.
The secretary of the UGT, Antonio Jiménez, highlighted the “difficult situation” being faced by workers in the Region of Murcia as a result of the invasion of Ukraine and the backdrop of rising inflation, which is threatening ordinary people with a loss of purchasing power.
The unions are in agreement that new negotiations have to be opened to review employment contracts in light of the current economic situation, since “there are more than 200,000 workers” in the Region whose haven’t seen a wage increase in a decade.
Meanwhile in Cartagena, more than 800 people turned up in the Plaza de Ayuntamiento at 11am and marched to the Plaza de España, also demanding that a salary review clause be included in labour agreements, as well as a reduction in the costs of electricity, fuel and food.
Speaking on the steps of the Town Hall, José Ibarra, regional leader of the CCOO union, called for more measures from the government since the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has now reached a staggering 10%, stressing that the administration must “do more to contain prices and raise wages”. He also called for a shift from the private sector, because “if the companies are having a bad time, the workers are having a worse time”, with thousands of families barely making it to the end of the month.
Image: CC OO Region of Murcia
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