Tens of thousands rally against government's austerity measures
(19 Feb 2012) SHOTLIST 1. Wide of thousands marching in protest against the government's new labour reforms 2. Mid of protest march 3. Mid of protesters holding UGT (General Workers Union) red banners 4. Close of placard reading (Spanish): "No Guantanamo Labour!" 5. Various of march 6. Mid of demonstrators waving the Second Spanish Republic flags 7. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Manuela, 58 years old, vox pop: "The problem is that the workers who have work are worried because they could lose their jobs, and for people who don't have work, with these conditions it's going to be impossible to get a job. Because of this, "The Gallic Village" (a reference to the French comic book series, Asterix and Obelix) supports this demonstration." 8. SOUNDBITE (Spanish) Mari Sol Jimenez, 50 years old, vox pop: "This is shameful. They are stealing our rights and we all have to fight for them." (Question: Why did you come to the demonstration?) "Because this is unfair." 9. Close of placard against austerity measures 10. Mid of people marching 11. Various of thousands taking part in rally STORYLINE Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of the Spanish capital on Sunday to protest against the government's new labour reforms that make it easier for companies to fire workers and pull out of collective bargaining agreements. Demonstrators held red UGT (General Workers Union) flags as they marched through Madrid. "This is shameful," said one woman. "They are stealing our rights and we all have to fight for them." The protest was part of mass demonstrations held across the country on Sunday, organised by the country's main trade unions including the UGT. Union organisers said around a (m) million people had marched by mid-afternoon, but official figures were not released. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government passed the package of reforms nine days ago in an effort to shake up a labour market seen as one of Europe most rigid and to encourage hiring in a country battling the highest unemployment rate in the eurozone, at nearly 23 percent. The government's sweeping changes allow Spanish companies facing dwindling revenues to pull out of collective bargaining agreements and have greater flexibility to adjust employees' schedules, workplace tasks and wages, as well as making it easier and less costly to fire workers. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
