CULTURE SPAIN – GENERAL STRIKE IN SPAIN (WILL SPANISH GRAND PARENTS STRIKE AS WELL?)

GENERAL STRIKE IN SPAIN - WILL SPANISH GRANDPARENTS STRIKE?

So, we are only two days away from the general strike in Spain and there are no signs of it being called-off.  This means that if you do have travel plans for the day of the general strike in Spain on the 29^th September 2010 – then you should be wary of delays and cancellations.

As I have stated before, the expectation is that the general strike in Spain will be a lacklustre affair.  There appears to be little support for it and, of course, the general strike in Spain is only for one day.

However, as we all know, to our cost, it takes very little to destroy travel arrangements.  Whilst a reasonably generous minimal services agreement has been made between the Spanish government and the Spanish unions, just a few cancelled flights or trains can cause horrendous problems for any traveller.

So, my advice would be to curtail any air, train or bus journeys to or around Spain wherever possible – for both the day of the Spanish strike and the day after.

Of course, it will be interesting to see what the real numbers of strikers are on  the day – (if truthful figures are ever published).  I suspect that any ‘passion’ shown on the day for the strike in Spain may be over-exaggerated, as some employees may ‘strike’ simply because they welcome the excuse of a day off.  Or is that way too cynical?

Mind you, talking of cynicism, the unions have been urging Spanish grandparents to go on strike as well!  Even by French standards, this is a pretty desperate measure.

The reality of Spanish culture is that it is still based around very close nuclear families.  Indeed, if you come to live in Spain then it is this very closeness that makes the culture of Spain so strikingly different from many countries in Northern Europe (or the States).  Families tend to live, geographically, very close together and have lives that are often completely interwined.

In the case of grandparents, the looking after of grandchildren is seen as de rigeur.  This is fortunate, given the lack of government funded créches.  In fact, according to the Telegraph, 50% of Spanish grandparents look after a grandchild every day and one in eight looks after a grandchild for nine hours a day.  Unless they did this, the argument goes, it would cost the Spanish economy a fortune.  In any event, this is something that, it is claimed, the Spanish government should be organising and funding.

I am sure that the argument make some sense.  In a way.

However, surely, the whole point of a working nuclear society is the willingness of a family to ‘close ranks’ and help each other and be an intrinsic part of each other’s lives?   Equally, who can possibly be better (and more appropriate) to care for children than their grandparents?  Is this not what we lost in Northern Europe – the whole concept of a functioning nuclear family?  Has not our reliance on the State for everything been a negative experience?

In any event, more to the point – how on earth can the Spanish government possibly conceive of funding grandparents for their child care work – when they are busy implementing harsh austerity measures due to lack of funds?  What are the unions thinking of?

So, will Spanish grandparents actively support the general strike in Spain and further upset your travel or work plans?  Quite frankly, I have no idea – but the prospect sounds as absurd as the strike!

Anyhow, come what may, I shall keep you in touch with what is happening on this rather odd Spanish strike…

RELATED POSTS:  general strike in Spain and minimal services agreement and work in spain (realities).

RELATED INFO: Strike impact may be limited and Grandparents urged to join strike