Metallurgists' protests in Spain escalated into riots: there are wounded and arrested
After unions and employers broke off negotiations and could not reach an agreement, protests began in Cadiz, Spain, which have been going on for the third day. Workers block roads and railways in the province. The action was organized by trade unions seeking an indexation of wages taking into account the growth of inflation in the EU.
Most of the protesters are involved in servicing the local port. On the eve, several groups of strikers clashed with the police, there are detainees. At the moment, Spanish activists have completely blocked the city center.
The police warn of a huge traffic jam that formed at the entrance to Cadiz across the 1812 Constitution Bridge due to the actions of protesters in urban areas. Also, traffic inside the city is paralyzed, residents cannot get to the supermarket and the city hospital.
Cadiz FICA-UGT union head Antonio Montoro condemned the vandalism, but accused the Federation of Metallurgical Companies of Cadiz (FEMCA) of "turning on" workers by offering "indecent" job offers.
At least 25,000 workers are participating in the strike, but the exact number of pickets is not known.
The union said workers will continue to act in defiance until FEMCA comes to a "coherent agreement that adapts to the current economic situation and workers' safety needs, especially after particularly difficult years of the pandemic." >