BRUSSELS — European workers squeezed by the soaring cost of living went on strike in
Belgium and Greece on Wednesday, with more stoppages threatening to paralyze
parts of Britain, France, and Spain in coming days.
اضافة اعلان
Spreading
industrial unrest poses a problem for governments which are already spending
billions trying to blunt the worst effects of rising prices, at least for the
most vulnerable.
Europe is
acutely affected by the fallout from the war in Ukraine, which is exacerbating
a global energy crisis, inflation, and a scarcity of some food products.
The onset of
winter, when energy bills spike, and repeated predictions of a continent-wide
recession are souring the labor mood even further.
Belgium and
Greece saw general strikes on Wednesday, disrupting transport in their
respective capitals, impacting businesses.
In Brussels,
home to the European Commission and other EU institutions, workers were
protesting inflation running higher than 12 percent — well above the 10.7
percent average across the eurozone.
The country’s
biggest union, the FGTB, is demanding greater leeway to negotiate pay rises.
But the Belgian
government counters that Belgian salaries are already indexed to inflation — an
arrangement not seen in most other countries.
The strike cut
train services by 75 percent and closed the airport in the southern city of
Charleroi, the main hub in the country for Europe’s leading airline Ryanair.
Strikes in Britain and France
In Greece, ferries serving its many islands were among the transport
lines halted by a general strike, the second to hit the country since
September.
Brief clashes
erupted in Athens and Thessaloniki when hooded youths threw firebombs at
police, who responded with tear gas.
In the capital,
red paint was splashed at the entrance to Greece’s central bank, and a firebomb
was thrown at a car in front of the finance ministry.
In the northern
city of Thessaloniki, a banner said: “We choose life, not survival.”
Greek unions are
insisting on salary rises to cope with inflation which has risen to 12 percent.
Stoppages were
to be felt on Thursday in Britain and France, with the underground urban rail
networks and buses in London and Paris to be severely affected.
Celine
Verzeletti, of the French CGT trade union, predicted up to 200 “demonstration
points”, roughly the same as the last national strike in France on October 18,
when more than 100,000 people protested.
France is not as
badly affected by inflation as its European peers, as the state holds stakes in
the main energy companies and has minimized how far energy bills can rise.
Inflation in
France is just over six percent — better than elsewhere — but with economic
activity across the eurozone nose diving, hatches are being battened for what
looks like a period of stagflation.
In Britain,
where inflation is above 10 percent, worker protests over not being able to
make ends meet are coming to a crescendo.
The Bank of
England predicts the country is headed for a two-year recession, even though it
was forced to hike interest rates, making it even tougher for UK households.
EU energy moves
On top of Thursday’s stoppage in London’s Underground, British nurses
are to hold the first strike in the 106-year history of their Royal College of
Nursing union at a date yet to be announced.
Announcing the
result of a ballot, RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said: “Anger has become
action — our members are saying enough is enough.”
Late next week,
hundreds of employees at Heathrow airport are to halt work for three days,
between November 18 and 21, to demand better pay.
Their action
could force the cancellation of flights to Qatar, which is to host the World
Cup football tournament that kicks off on November 20.
British dockers,
university staff, postal employees, and the legal profession have all held or
threaten to continue strikes over pay eaten away by inflation.
In Spain, truck
drivers have called an indefinite strike from next Monday. Their last stoppage,
in March, led to empty supermarket shelves.
With labor
protests mounting, the EU is looking at ways to take some of the sting out of
energy prices.
The European
Commission and member states are working on proposals to promote the joint
purchase of gas and possibly impose a mechanism to cap the price of wholesale
gas within the EU.
Details are not
expected to be finalized until late this month, but the steps — and
unseasonably warm weather last month — contributed to a fall in gas prices,
though they are expected to rise again as winter bites.
The head of the
European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, said last week a “mild” eurozone
recession looked likely — but warned it would not be enough to bring down
record-high inflation.
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