agreement and the PSD reached an for forming a new government, which
The first general strike
President Eanes may reject and then call new elections.
NEW POLITICAL OPERATIONS
One thing is certain. Now even more new SP government discredited than they were in December 1982, the bourgeois parties will run separately. And the SP will top the poll.
In this new situation, several operations loom.
The main organizing force in the January 25 general strike in the city of Gijon,
One is by Mario Soares. Despite in Asturias, a province in the far northwest of Spain, was the his immobilism, his conciliation with the Communist Party.
the right, and the fact that the leadership bastions of the CP, and it has one of the most radical traditions in Spain. It is of the UGT has been divided evenly for also an old industrial area that is now being allowed to run down.
the past three years between the SP and
The origin of the Corriente de Izquierdas was the break of Luis Redondo.
the AD, Soares can be put in a good general secretary of the Gijon Executive of the Workers Commissions, the AD electoral defeat.
position by controlled labor confederation, from the Communist Party in 1978.
He could be called on to form a governand about 200 militants broke with the CP in opposition to its policy of consensus.
His scheme is ment after the elections.
They maintained their influence in the union and pursued a militant line.
for a government alliance with the PSD
The existence of such a strong militant grouping in the union posed a serious
The group around Redondo and thousands of other the ground work for
He wants to lay running for president in 1986.
The expelled activists formed the Corriente de Izquierdas, which has con-
Another is by Freitas do Amaral. In siderable strength in the factory councils that are elected by the workforce as leaving the CDS and the government he was also getting in position to run for
The following articles are from the February 4 issue of Combate, weekly paper president. He hopes to come to the fore as of the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR), section of the Fourth Interna the only strong candidate of a right that tional for the Spanish state. They give the report and assessment of the strike is divided and without an alternative. A part of the PSD seems ready now to back
Finally, there is General Eanes' opera-
He wants to create a situation favorable for the setting up of a new party combining a section of the Socialist Party, of the AD, and even drawing in a secquierdas, a left split from threat to the CP leadership.
activists were, therefore, by the LCR in Asturias.
There was the atmosphere of a general strike. The day before, the bakers had produced bread for two days. The
Asturias is one of the historic from the Workers Commisreported that the strike was total. All big industry was shut down, along with banks, transport, stores,
The kiosks opened from 5:00 p.m.
tion of the CP voters. This could emerge sanitation service warned that the gar- to midnight only to sell newspapers, not as a possibility in the event of a "center" not be picked up. The en- even tobacco. government (that is, a SP-PSD one) becoming discredited.
As can be seen, everyone is betting on the end of the AD. Vitor Crespo, who has been pointed to as a possible premier, would be at best a temporary encharged with taking some immediate, drastic economic measures.
After the increase in the price of gasoline (which is already the highest in Europe) the introduction of a new budget will set the stage for some brutal blows. In fact, the 1983 budget has not yet been approved, which gives an idea of the political disequilibria and their economic and financial consequences.
The crisis of the AD points to the opening of a new political stage in Por10 bage would tire poputation knew that January 25 was the day. Previous days of action had been focused on protesting the deindustrialization of Gijon.
The general strike was on the front page of all the newspapers. El Comercio, the conservative local paper, did not see any reason to condemn But that was not the way the Asturian Federation of Employers saw it. They raised a big outery about how absurd it was to fight unemployment with strikes.
. At 7:00 a.m. there was virtually no activity in the city. There were no buses. The workers in the main plants went to gather in their workplaces on foot or in private cars.
At 8:30 a.m., the national radio
The gas stations served only ambulances and emergency The day before, 250 taxi drivers decided in an assembly to provide service only in emergency cases and without accepting payment. Radio Gijon stayed on the air to give strike news. The movie houses did not open in the afternoon.
Police surveillance was more discreet but no less intense than on previous
Along with the usual cars and paddy waggons, there were camouflaged vehicles combing the city.
Beginning at 9:30, the neighborhoods started to empty. The neighborhoods associations had three big columns - in La Calzada, La Urgisa, and El Coto. Each of these feeder marches were joined by people
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under Spain's
from the neighborhood and workers youth called on the municipal police to reach the Plaza del Humedal at noon. join the general strike!"
from the local factories. They were to
By 11:00 a.m., the largest group was on its way from La Calzada. It
"The city police should join the strike.
"V Zero to G1 we heard they three wheels. Is that right?
They shouted: "Where is the
The city government, in which the left has a majority, supported the struggle, at least verbally.
The standing comnumbered in groups of workers plants and work places such as Crady, Over."
Avello, and Astilleros (shipyard workers).
A group of unemployed youth signs demanding the right to a future.
"G 8 says that it is twelve. TWELVE.
On the Plaza del Humedal there wasn't room for one person more. The demonstration was headed by the leaders greeted the crowd, praising its civic spirit.
He assured the people that have elected a government that represents their interests better and which is already taking steps to divide the sacrifices more all the trade unions — the USO, the UGT, fairly. " (Our emphasis.)
The concentration in La Urgisa was headed up by workers from the Moreda
It also attracted neighborhood people, and marched toward the center
At 11:07, d°8 to V Zero. Were the Workers Commissions, the CNT, and
CNT (Valencia Committee) and the Corriente Sindical de Izquierdas.
union locals were present. The city was its call for the strike, the Bloque de la Izquierda Asturiana (The Asturian
Left Bloc) said: "We must demand that the Socialist Party government take meafor the strike. sures against the banks that are forcing you could hear on the covered with posters
On the dot of noon (V Zero had found out that the number of buses blocked close, abandoning them or decapitalizing them without any concern heading down
A hundred to two hundred people."
"V Zero to G 8. Make sure nothing march started for the plaza. Everybody mand that it cut the workday and impose was there, except, to be sure, the lead- controls on overtime and moonlighting…..
moves. If you have to knock over some furniture, OK."
at the ALSAS garage was twelve), the public officials for the loss of jobs. We also have to de-
"We cannot let anyone remain
TODOS A LA
TODOS A LA
FOR LINTERESNEARY
A contingent of young school students demand Today without unemployment
Only three businesses were operating in Gijon - the transport company ALSA, the municipal police, and the local football club training ground.
"V Zero to G 8. The Alsas seems to be having Could we grab just one vehicle in the garage? Over."
" G 8 to V Zero. I have already taken steps."
11:15. "G 8 here. They've grabbed ten or twelve Alsas. Over."
"Give me the number of vehicles, not of wheels."
The column headed by the Moreda workshops reached Marques de San Esteban street, shouting, "We will win, we will win." The companeros from La Calzada were waiting in front of the offices of the Corriente Sindical de Izquierdas (the Trade-Union Left). More than 25,000 persons moved to the start of the big demonstration. Unemployed
(the ruling Socialist party).
More than a hundred thousand people marched through the streets of Gijon demanding solutions. It was the bigdemonstration Asturias. This was the first general strike that had to face the new SP government, the "government of change."
The march reached its destination before the last contingents had moved a
Mayor (main square) was filled to overflowing. The adjacent streets were also filled. When the speakers began to address the crowd, there was still a section of the march 500 meters long outside the plaza; there was no room for them.
supThe young students came out massively on the march and give it real force. The workers from the Moreda workshops quickly caught the tomorrow with work'(DR) different to the deindustrilization of
For this purpose, we must the struggles in all the crisis-hit
The spirit of unity has been a key factor in the mobilizations since the December 29 day of action. "Que demasiao, que demasiao, que todos los currantes nos hemos juntao!" ("We have had enough, people of all opinions are united!" in the Asturian dialect.)
The rally concluded with the reading of a joint communique from the confederations that called the action.
Now Don Rafel Fernandez, chairman of the Asturian regional autho rity could see that what he called "the anarchistic currents doomed to extine tion" are standing shoulder to shoulder with the workers. It was not their faull if there were no leaders from the govert ment party at the demonstration.
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HUELGA GENERAL DEL 25L HUELGA GENERAL DEL DIA 25LO