STRIKES IN FRANCE
Well, I am curious. Very curious…
Why are there constant strikes in France and untold civil disruption – and nothing even vaguely similar happening in Spain?
Truly, I would welcome someone’s opinion?
For the past few months there have been seemingly endless strikes in France, along with frequent images of furious protesters. The French streets seem to have been filled with furious protesters, on occasions, and violence has erupted many times. The French are, quite clearly, absolutely furious about the austerity measures that they are facing and apoplectic about having to work a few years longer than they had planned.
By comparison, Spain, which is in far greater economic trouble, is as tranquil as an inland pueblo during an August siesta.
Certainly, there was a general strike in Spain (on the 29th September) but it was, as I had predicted beforehand, a damp squib. It lasted only for a day and, despite conflicting reports, it appears that the majority of people in work – went to work.
Indeed, the day of the general strike in Spain, for most of us, was just another day. There were less lorries around on the roads but, frankly, you would have barely noticed any difference between the the day of the Spanish strike and the day before, or, for that matter of fact, afterwards.
Certainly, I think that most people in Spain believe that the general strike in Spain was going to achieve nothing and that it duly did achieve – nothing. In fact, I know of a couple of businesses (one very major!) who tackled the strike in a wonderfully Spanish way.
I cannot name names, of course, but both businesses agreed that their members could strike – but on the basis that the employees concerned worked the next day that there was a fiesta (a ‘bank’ holiday)! This was a few weeks away and meant, in reality, that one working day was seemlessly swapped for a holiday and vice versa. Great stuff(!) – with the unions, no doubt, being content and the workers assured of not losing a day’s pay…
It is not as if the Spanish people do not have as many reasons (or more) than the French to strike. The austerity measures in Spain are, as far as I can tell, no less harsh than in France.
In fact, of course, matters are, if anything, worse for Spain. After all, unemployment in France is somewhere around 10% where here, in Spain, it is over 20% – a truly horrifying figure.
So, is this a cultural matter? Actually, I rather suspect that it is.
Before writing this Post, I contacted a number of Spanish friends to see what they thought and they all said much the same thing – however politically correct it may seem.
The French, my friends said – ‘are always complaining about something. Always.’
But do the Spanish not feel like demonstrating and taking civil action, I asked?
‘Well,’ was the pretty much universal response, ‘not really. We are more laid back, more easy-going’.
Frankly, I do not know what the truth is and asking half a dozen people is hardly a good way of testing out the thinking of a whole country. Nonetheless, it is hard not to come to the conclusion that the culture of Spain is inherently very different from France, one of its closest neighbours.
Mind you, do not think for one moment, think that I want there to be strikes in Spain. I do not! It is just that, at times like these, I am curious why Spain is so notably non-militant.
Certainly, after knowing Spain for many years I have come to admire greatly the ‘easy-going’ nature of the Spanish. ‘Tranquil’ is a word frequently on their lips and one that seems to define day to day life. In this regard, the very essence of the culture of Spain seems demonstrably very different from other Mediteranean countries. Personally, I find this one of the charms of the country – and long may it continue.
Have I got this wrong? Maybe I have? Perhaps more experienced Spanish ‘hands’ are going to tell me the Spanish are too downtrodden to complain vociferously? Or that they are too afraid of authority – or just do not care. Or perhaps that the ‘black’ economy is so great that there is no real hardship here?
I shall be interested to know what the consensus is…
I will go with the fear factor. People were scared to lose their jobs as they don’t see another on the horizon. Also as I have told you before Nick I think the target was the wrong one. If they had been demonstrating against the banks and their bail out money, lack of loans, credit lines etc then I think the turnout would have been much higher. As it is why complain about one government when the opposition would be much worse for the average worker. The PP are even saying in parliament they do not need to explain what they will do in government because they know that by just sitting back and watching the crisis play out they win the next election even though their municipalities are the most endebted, the most corrupt and the most mismanaged as a general rule.