Strikes challenge Moncloa Pact

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The hotel and restaurant workers' 48-hour strike which took place last week along southern Spain's Costa del Sol has major national importance.

In the first place, the claim represents a wage increase in excess of the Francoist government's pay norm of 22% (inflation is about 30%).

The workers are demanding a rise in the minimum wage in the industry from about £32 a week to about £49.

Unreliable bonus

The claim is not as great as it looks • since at present workers receive an unreliable bonus based on a "share of the turnover" and they want this abolished and replaced by a higher stable basic rate.

A victory for these workers where trade unionisation has until recently been very poorly developed would have a tremendous impact on demands and struggles in other sectors.

Unanimity

Already the near unanimity of the strike action shows how rapidly organisation has developed since last year when many hotel strikes took place but were sporadic in their impact.

Hotel owners on the Costa del Sol responded to the action with a lock-out which within three days they were forced to lift.

There has now been partial return to work while negotiations proceed.

New strike action has already been planned if the wage demand is not conceded.

During the same week the breakdown of wage negotiations in the engineering industries led to a 24-hour strike by 90% of engineering workers in Barcelona, Spain's major industrial city.

More such strikes are planned in the coming month.

Developments elsewhere in Spain also suggest that the reactionary Moncloa Pact signed by workers' leaders last year is now in for a growing attack from workers who have been feeling its consequences.

NEXT WEEK the Spanish P v admits it is n Marxist party

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