Unions rally against social and labour policies of Valencian government

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In December 1998 the Spanish CC.OO and UGT trade union confederations organised a demonstration in protest against the labour and social policies of the Valencian regional government. The event was well attended.

In December 1998, the CC.OO and UGT trade union confederations called a demonstration in protest against the labour and social policies of the Valencian regional government. This was the first general rally that had been held in the Valencian community since the parties of the centre-right won the last regional elections. The demonstration was widely supported - by about 15,000 people in the city of Valencia- and was backed by all the left-wing political parties and by 16 civic and progressive organisations.

The protest was sparked by the absence of social dialogue over the 1999 regional budget, despite a commitment that had been made by the regional government in the "Valencian agreement for employment and training" reached by the social partners just over a year previously. This agreement established a framework for permanent social dialogue that - according to the unions - has been systematically unfulfilled, especially with respect to debate with the unions on regional budgets.

The Valencian trade unions maintain that this is just one more case of manipulation of employment policy and social dialogue by the regional government. They criticise the series of employment plans that the current Valencian government has drawn up - seven including the current one - that have allegedly failed to outline budgets or clear objectives and have not requested the participation of the social partners. The unions are therefore calling for more serious and thorough negotiations. They also place special importance on participation in the setting up of the Valencian Employment Institute (Instituto Valenciano de Empleo), the new body that will soon take over responsibility for labour market matters from the National Institute for Employment (Instituto Nacional de Empleo, INEM) (ES9706112F).

The demonstration also expressed a more widespread protest against the conservative policies of the Valencian government: it criticised, for example, cutbacks in education and social services, and the trend towards privatising Valencian public services.