UGT union announces plans to lay off 44 staff in Madrid
But labor organization says it will not be taking advantage of easy-firing legislation it has opposed
One of Spain's two major labor unions has announced plans to fire 61 percent of its Madrid staff, citing financial problems.
Forty-four of the 72 workers at UGT Madrid face layoffs if the labor adjustment plan, known in Spanish as an ERE, goes through as planned. In May 2012, UGT launched another ERE, which affected 30 employees.
The union's administration secretary, Carmelo Ruiz de la Hermosa, said that the UGT will not be taking advantage of the government's labor reform, which reduces the amount of compensation paid to workers who are dismissed by their employers.
"We have opposed the labor reform, and continue to oppose it, and we are not going to apply it," he said.