A detention for throwing a fence at agents and several police charges against information pickets at Mercamadrid have marked the first hours of the general strike, a day which, despite these incidents, has proceeded normally and in which the country’s main distribution platform has recorded only a slight decline in activity.
Sources from Mercamadrid explain to Europa Press that the information picket of UGT and CC.OO. was carried out between 1:00 and 3:00 in the early hours at the toll booth of the upper platform. During that time span, the entrance of vehicles was not blocked and access took place normally, in a “fairly orderly” manner given “the scale and the coincidence with the goods access schedule.”
Despite this, moments of tension were experienced between police officers and workers, which ended with charges by the Police and the detention of a person. From the Superior Police Headquarters of Madrid, they indicate to Europa Press that the incident occurred around 1:30 hours, after the detained person threw a fence at the agents deployed in the area.
For their part, the unions denounce that police charges and the use of pepper spray occurred against a picket that they describe as “absolutely peaceful.” They claim that 15 people were injured by the police action and were treated by Samur Protección-Civil personnel. From CC.OO. they have stated that they will file a criminal complaint for what happened.
By around 6:30 hours, the appearance of Mercamadrid no longer reflected the incidents that had marked the start of the protest at this large fresh produce distribution platform, considered one of the key points by the Madrid City Council to guarantee supplies and to which specific services had been provided during the strike.
Almost usual activity on the platform
After the first frictions, the movement of trucks, pallet jacks, and workers has been regaining the installation’s usual look, which has begun to operate “like a normal day.” This is how Luis describes it, from the fish warehouse, in statements to Europa Press.
“They haven’t prevented the trucks from entering,” he comments next to a colleague while they wait for the arrival of more buyers. Both admit, however, that, beneath that appearance of normality, it is perceived as a day that is “a bit weaker in sales.”
They report that this Tuesday they already noticed an increase in customers who came to buy in advance "because of the risk" that the strike could end up affecting the operation of Mercamadrid.
From the entity itself they agree with this assessment and point to a somewhat smaller entry of goods, with the markets open but with less movement than usual. "A certain advance was detected both in the provisioning of goods and in the access of buyers on Tuesday, November 10," they indicate.
Along the same lines, María José, a worker at the fruit shed, speaks to Europa Press and says that she arrived at around 3:00 a.m. and was able to access the logistics platform "normally." "I'm a bit bored; fewer people are coming in," she comments, adding that she perceives some "fear" among buyers about coming this November 11.
The constant coming and going of trucks under the rain and the glow of the lights turned on have reinforced that sense of daily routine, to the point that some, like Adolfo, admit that "I didn't even know there was a strike."