Workers across the European Union have launched an unprecedented string of strikes in a coordinated battle against austerity cuts on Wednesday.
The strikes are intended to paralyse factories and public sector offices, and have grounded more than 700 flights. Organisers are urging national leaders to abandon fiscal austerity measures and address growing social anxiety.
Walkouts are expected in Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy, with other protests planned in Belgium, Germany, France and the United Kingdom.
It is the first time unions have engaged in simultaneous strikes across the continent, said the European Trade Union Confederation, which organised the “Day of Action and Solidarity”.
Unions in Spain, the eurozone’s fifth-largest economy, and Portugal, ranked 14th, started strikes at midnight to protest against austerity measures that have combined tax rises with cuts in salaries, pensions, benefits and social services.
Spain, where one in four workers is unemployed in a deep recession, is holding its second general strike in eight months to protest severe budget cuts.
“There has been huge disruption, hundreds of flights have been cancelled, public transport has been hit and the strike is affecting many people,” reported Al Jazeera’s Tim Friend in Madrid.
“People are asking for growth in Spain, rather than cuts, but the government is set on cutting services in order to balance the books.”
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