topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2117.66 -0.08
DAX 6323.19 -0.26
IBEX 30 6401.2 -2.17
CAC 40 3042.97 -0.16
FTSE 100 5356.34 0.09
AEX 292.76 0.00
DJIA 12454.83 -0.60
Nasdaq 2837.53 -0.07
FTSE MIB 13057.26 -0.74
TSX Composite 11540.45 -0.31
ASX 4120.2 0.96
Hang seng 18800.99 0.47
Straits Times 2787.22 0.52
ISEQ 20 501.76 0.16
You are here: Home News French News Small businesses in Spain slam economy policies

French News

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


27/03/2009Small businesses in Spain slam economy policies

About 1,000 workers from small- and medium-sized businesses rallied to demand the government change its economic policies.

MADRID – Some 1,000 workers from small- and medium-sized businesses protested outside Spain's parliament on Thursday to demand the government change its policies to tackle the economic crisis.

The crowd called on Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to resign, shouting "Spain deserves another prime minister".

"This government ignores the small- and medium-sized companies and the independents," said Javier Parera, 54, who founded a chain of bakeries in the northeast city of Barcelona.

"We are suffering from not having access to credit, regulations that are too strict," he said.

Spain's economy, the fifth-largest in Europe, fell into recession at the end of 2008 as the global financial crisis exacerbated a correction that was already underway in the construction sector, the engine of its growth.

The slump in the building sector has spread to other areas, pushing the unemployment rate to 13.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008, the highest level in the 27-nation European Union.

"The solution would be a radical change in economic policy" with "more flexibility, more credit," said Parera, who has seen sales at his four bakeries fall 15 percent and orders from the hotels that he supplies plunge 30 to 40 percent.

"I paid the last salaries of my employees with savings made by my wife," he said.

Several opposition deputies, from the right and the extreme-left, came out of the parliament building to observe the protest.

Other demonstrations have taken place in recent months in the Spanish regions worst hit by the crisis but the two biggest unions, the UGT and the CCOO, have for the moment ruled out calling a general strike.

AFP / Expatica


0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating



0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment
Discussion Forums

Television in France

Buy fake passports, driver's licenses, identity cards

Eating & Drinking in France

Buy fake passports, driver's licenses, identity cards

Humour in France

Buy fake passports, driver's licenses, identity cards

Shopping in France

Buy fake passports, driver's licenses, identity cards

Films, Shows & Events in France

Buy fake passports, driver's licenses, identity cards

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Management culture in France

Management culture in France

This handy guide from Expertise in Labour Mobility includes information on business hierarchy, negotiations, and etiquette.

American associations and clubs in Paris

American associations and clubs in Paris

A listing of organizations in the Paris area that cater primarily to Americans living in France. Updated April 2011.

British associations and clubs in Paris

British associations and clubs in Paris

Our handy guide to the British community in Paris, from cricket clubs to Scottish country dancing lessons to where to find a jar of Marmite.

Anglophone services in France

Anglophone services in France

Here's a short introduction to our Banking section for those living in France, from how to open a bank account to Islamic banking and investments.