Strike in Catalonia and Basque Country against industrial accident rate

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On 27 April 2001, Spain's CC.OO and UGT trade union confederations organised a day of mobilisation against industrial accidents and occupational illnesses, including a one-hour general strike in Catalonia and the Basque Country.

In spite of the approval in February 1996 of the Law on Prevention of Occupational Risks (Ley de Prevención de Riesgos Laborales, LPRL) (ES9708216F), the industrial accident rate in Spain is still one of the highest in the European Union (ES9904215F). In the first two months of 2001 alone, there were 159,077 workplace accidents involving time off work, 10% more than in the same period in 2000, and 244 workers died in industrial accidents, 7% up on the same period a year before. This situation has been constantly criticised by the trade unions (ES0004282F).

According to the unions, the high rate of industrial accidents and occupational illnesses is due to the excessive instability of employment and the high labour turnover in the Spanish labour market and to the abuse of methods such as subcontracting (ES0011122F). They also stress the lack of health and safety resources in companies, and the inefficiency of the public administration in developing and applying the law, as well as in inspecting, controlling and penalising companies that infringe it.

In this context, a day of mobilisation for health and safety at work was organised on 27 April 2001 in the autonomous communities (regions) of Catalonia and the Basque Country by the most representative trade unions, the Trade Union Confederation of Workers' Commissions (Comisiones Obreras, CC.OO) and General Workers' Confederation (Unión General de Trabajadores, UGT). The action consisted of a one-hour strike per shift, mass meetings in companies, and five minutes' silence outside workplaces in memory of workers who have lost their lives or suffered industrial accidents.

It was initially intended to call the one-hour strike across the whole country, but a dispute that arose among the two trade union confederations - after CC.OO signed a national agreement on 9 April with the government and employers' organisations on the improvement and development of the social security system - prevented its general application. The strike was thus not called in the rest of Spain, but mass meetings and other types of mobilisations were organised in protest at the high industrial accident rate.

The mobilisation was organised as part of the actions planned by the Spanish trade unions for the International Commemoration Day for Dead and Injured Workers, promoted by the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), which this year sought to highlight the proliferation of cases of mesothelioma and lung cancer caused by asbestos. Therefore, in addition to the strike in Catalonia and the Basque Country, a strike was also called in cement, wood and asbestos companies across the whole of Spain, as well as a symbolic five-minute strike in public administrations.

According to figures provided by CC.OO, 1,860,000 workers followed the strike call on 27 April (850,000 in Catalonia and 560,000 in the Basque Country). It was also followed by 250,000 workers in the public administration and 200,000 in the iron and steel and cement sectors in the rest of Spain. This strike is seen as being of great importance, because it was the first time that a general strike had been held in two autonomous communities in protest at the high industrial accident rate.