Spanish State – Cádiz: Not a step back in the metal struggle!

We hereby share an unofficial translation of an article published by Servir al Pueblo.

The metal sector workers are once again taking to the streets in Cádiz, continuing a conflict that dates back to the powerful days of struggle in 2021. That year, workers in Cádiz went on strike, which ended with a heavy repressive response, remembered due to the deployment of armored vehicle by the Ministry of Interior to suppress pickets and barricades. Police terror spread through the neighborhoods, accompanied by scenes of beatings, gunfire, and arrests.

Since then, the working class in Cádiz has pointed fingers at political leaders. In 2023, the Metal Workers’ Coordinator organized a protest against the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz. They also confronted the mayor of Cádiz in the streets, with residents shouting, “It’s been many years like this, mayor, it’s over. We’ve been at it for 40 years.” The workers themselves have made it clear that opportunists should not pretend to be friends of their cause, marking them as enemies.

According to organizations involved in the strike, negotiations with the bosses are slow, and the demands from the unions CCOO and UGT are insufficient. The employers, in addition to having violated the agreements from the previous metal strike, are taking a stubborn and closed-off stance, claiming that “there are no objective reasons for the strike.” On the other hand, the Metal Workers’ Coordinator states: “Workers are still being forced to work on Sundays and to put in overtime under the threat of dismissal, weekly and daily rest periods are being violated, summer working hours are not being respected, and at the same time, overtime is being required during a heatwave.” Additionally, they are demanding a salary increase retroactive to 2024.

The strike is seeing a 95% participation rate. According to various bourgeois media outlets covering the news, this is a strike that is paralyzing a strategic sector of the economy. If no agreement is reached by Friday, the strike will take on an indefinite character.

This, combined with the direct targeting of the political enemies of the workers and the development of forms of struggle, has led the Interior Ministry to prepare for a repeat of the repressive episodes from 2021.

From the early hours of the strike, there have already been six arrests, along with three more on Thursday. Judicial repression has acted swiftly, imposing 18-month prison sentences on demonstrators and hefty fines of up to 53,000 euros, demonstrating how the bourgeoisie is slow to meet the needs of workers but quick to punish them.

The working class in Cádiz continues its struggle, setting a precedent for all workers. Only through struggle can rights be won and maintained, regardless of who is in power.