1988 Spanish General Strike
Spain's 1988 general strike took place on December 14, and in Spain it is simply called 14-D (shortened form of 14 Diciembre; Cf. N30). It was called by the two main trade unions: CCOO and Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT).
Triggered by a significant reform in the labour market, namely a new more flexible contract for unexperienced youngsters with less redundancy pay, the strike was moreover a manifestation of general discontent with Spain's Socialist government policies. The government's economic policies were thought to be too conservative by trade unions and many left-wing voters.
The country was completely and peacefully paralyzed for 24 hours, prompting the government to negotiate with the unions. Even the TV signal was turn off by the workers. That flexible contract was retired and welfare state was increased. However, the strike did not prevent a third absolute majority by the socialist party, whose leader, Felipe Gonzalez, remained popular.
Read more about 1988 Spanish General Strike: Consequences of The 14-D Strike, Other Important General Strikes in Modern Spain, Use of 14-D in Other Strikes
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