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Workers on the Spanish railway network, Renfe, joined a Europe-wide day of action on 23 November 1998 in protest against the European Union's proposed policy of liberalising the railway sector. Rallies were accompanied by a 24-hour strike, though minimum services in Spain were guaranteed.
The workers' committee of Renfe, the Spanish public railway company - comprising representatives of the CC.OO, UGT, SEMAF and CGT trade unions - decided unanimously to support a Europe-wide day of action on 23 November 1998, coordinated by the Federation of Transport Workers’ Unions in the European Union (FST). The day of action was in protest against EU plans to liberalise the rail sector, and specifically against a recent decision to open a quarter of the rail freight market to competition over the next 10 years. The protest action in Spain consisted of a 24-hour strike, which was followed by 83% of the workers, according to union sources. However, this strike did not paralyse the public rail service because the minimum services decreed by the government varied according to the time of day from 50% to 65% of normal services. For the first time, the transport of non-perishable goods was included under minimum services. The unions stated that the government's action on this point was an abuse of the relevant legislation, declaring that "rather than guaranteeing a service to citizens it was aimed at challenging the unions and preventing a legitimate workers' right". The unions also denounced the recruitment of strike-breakers to operate the AVE (high-speed train) and police action in allegedly impeding the activity of the strike committee.
In several statements to the media, the Spanish trade unions expressed their opposition to the introduction of amendments to EU Directives 91/440/EEC (on the development of the Community's railways), 95/18/EC (on the licensing of railway undertakings) and 95/19/EC (on the allocation of railway infrastructure capacity and the charging of fees), as proposed by the member of the European Commission responsible for transport. They oppose the liberalisation of the rail sector, which they feel would be detrimental to both the users (lower quality, fewer regular services and reduced safety) and the workers (redundancies and worse working conditions), as - the unions claim - was shown by the privatisation of British Rail.
The president of Renfe stated that "we need not think that the public service offered in Spain is going to change", and, according to the Minister of Development, the strike was not justified because the proposed measures "are still in a preliminary draft" stage.
The high level of support for the protest in Spain can be understood, amongst other factors, in terms of general opposition to the current privatisation policy of the Spanish government.
Information on participation in the European day of action in other countries can be found in PT9811111N and GR9812115N.