Tens of thousands of people, more than 10,000 according to the Policía Nacional and 45,000 according to the organizers, have taken to the streets of Palma this Wednesday afternoon to join the demonstration called by the general strike in defense of housing and decent wages.
The march began at around 18:30 in the Plaza de España and joined the protests planned in Ciutadella, Maó, Eivissa and in different cities across the rest of the country. During the morning, about 1,700 people had already taken part in an educational mobilization in the Balearic capital.
Representatives of all the unions that back the strike took part in the protest, advancing along the Avenidas and the Rambla until they reached the Paseo del Born.
The trade union organizations calling the protest highlighted the strike’s follow-up and the “multitudinous” participation in the evening mobilization.
The general secretary of CCOO in Baleares, José Luis García, stressed that workers are suffering from salaries that do not reach to cover the month, the rising cost of living, and the “astronomical” increase in housing.
From the Sindicat de Llogateres de Mallorca, its spokesperson, Celeste Rodríguez, defined the day as an “success” and emphasized that the strike “is not partisan.”
In the same vein, the general secretary of UGT, Pedro Homar, expressed himself, who demanded that all administrations provide real and effective answers.
“We have local wages to international levels,” he denounced, while at the same time criticizing that “absurd partisan struggle has caused this situation.”
According to the count by the union headquarters, the demonstration brought together 45,000 attendees. Almost an hour after the start of the march, people were still gathered in the Plaza de España waiting to join.
Keeping pace with slogans such as “Neither houses without people, nor people without houses” or “Out with landlords from our streets,” the column arrived at the Born, where some participants stopped in front of businesses that remained open. At that moment, several establishments chose to lower their shutters.
The unions, which at midday put the follow-up at around 48 percent in Baleares, have shown their confidence that the protests would be massive.
CCOO and UGT have linked these figures to the economic situation of the working class and, in certain sectors, to what they consider excessive minimum services.
In the transport sector, tracking has been placed until midday at 100% in SFM and TIB, at 80 percent in EMT, and at 60 percent at the airport.
In education, according to the figures from the Govern, the strike has reached 14.9% overall across the Balearic Islands. In health it has been 5.8%, and among the staff of the regional administration, the percentage has reached 11.7%.
In the state administration, Correos, with 60 percent, has recorded the highest support, followed by Sepe, the General Treasury of Social Security and the National Institute of Social Security (30 percent), and the Tax Agency (25 percent).
In commerce, the unions have acknowledged reduced participation; however, as they have found in their rounds, many workers have not stopped not because of disagreement with the demands, but because of economic pressure. Hospitality, in the depths of the low season, also shows limited follow-through.
The employers’ associations, for their part, have described the day as normal and have qualified the impact of the strike as “minimum” in both SMEs and the hotel sector, and among the self-employed.
Eivissa, Formentera and Menorca add themselves to the protest
In Eivissa, more than 2,500 people have taken part in the demonstration called by the general strike, while in Formentera another 100 have done so.
Under slogans such as “The only invasion, investment funds” or “People without houses, houses without people,” the attendees have toured the main avenues of the city from the Figueretes neighborhood.
During the event in Reina Sofía park in Eivissa, representatives of the teaching staff warned in their manifesto that it is not possible to guarantee a quality public education without sufficient staff, adequate resources, and housing where people can live.
“Housing is not an issue separate from school; it is a social and justice issue,” they stressed, making it clear that they do not want children in Eivissa to grow up thinking that leaving their island is the only way out.
Among their demands, the demonstrators have called for a public housing park and have denounced that “enough already of rent-seeking and vulture funds in our neighborhoods.”
“We will stop this country as many times as necessary so that justice is done,” they concluded.
In Maó, the demonstration called this afternoon has brought together 1,000 people, according to the data provided by the Delegation of the Government.