Unions share spending-cut “suicide” alarm with king
Labor leaders use meeting with monarch to propose referendum on government’s austerity measures
Spain’s two top union leaders warned King Juan Carlos on Tuesday that the country will be heading toward “suicide” if the Popular Party (PP) government of Mariano Rajoy goes through with its painful austerity measures.
Fernando Toxo of the CCOO and the UGT’s Cándido Méndez suggested to the monarch that the string of budget cuts planned for the nation must be put to a vote in a referendum. The union chiefs, who met with the king at Zarzuela Palace for less than an hour, also said they were against a possible bailout by Brussels on top of the bank recapitalization plan that the Rajoy government has asked for, according to a joint statement issued by both unions.
The two leaders didn’t give any statements to reporters and left in separate vehicles.
Zarzuela sources said that the meeting, which was at the behest of the Royal Household, was just one of many the king regularly holds with different sectors of the country. Toxo and Méndez have also met with Rajoy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel over the past few weeks.
Tu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo
¿Quieres añadir otro usuario a tu suscripción?
Si continúas leyendo en este dispositivo, no se podrá leer en el otro.
FlechaTu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo y solo puedes acceder a EL PAÍS desde un dispositivo a la vez.
Si quieres compartir tu cuenta, cambia tu suscripción a la modalidad Premium, así podrás añadir otro usuario. Cada uno accederá con su propia cuenta de email, lo que os permitirá personalizar vuestra experiencia en EL PAÍS.
¿Tienes una suscripción de empresa? Accede aquí para contratar más cuentas.
En el caso de no saber quién está usando tu cuenta, te recomendamos cambiar tu contraseña aquí.
Si decides continuar compartiendo tu cuenta, este mensaje se mostrará en tu dispositivo y en el de la otra persona que está usando tu cuenta de forma indefinida, afectando a tu experiencia de lectura. Puedes consultar aquí los términos y condiciones de la suscripción digital.
Últimas noticias
‘How does it feel to be a failure?’: Elizabeth Berkley’s journey from ‘Showgirls’ ridicule to vindication
The story of the Málaga virus: The code that haunted Google’s cybersecurity center director for 30 years
The impact of Ecuador’s mega-prison: A polluted river, cleared forests and military checkpoints
Corinne Low: ‘I’m more concerned about the female happiness gap than the gender wage gap’
Most viewed
- The low-cost creative revolution: How technology is making art accessible to everyone
- Christian Louboutin: ‘Young people don’t want to be like their parents. And if their parents wear sneakers, they’re going to look for something else’
- All the effects of gentrification in one corner of Mexico’s Colonia Roma
- Liset Menéndez de la Prida, neuroscientist: ‘It’s not normal to constantly seek pleasure; it’s important to be bored, to be calm’
- Christmas loses its festive spirit: ICE fears cast shadow over religious celebrations
