Thousands of Riojan citizens have taken to the streets this afternoon to back the demonstration called on the occasion of the general strike by UGT, CC.OO., CNT, CGT, the Housing Union of La Rioja, and the Workers’ Union of Education. With this protest, they are calling for measures “that defend the interests of people” and “urgent” improvements in housing, wages, pensions, and public services.
The march set off just after 18:00 hours from the Glorieta del Doctor Zubía, led by a large banner that read “Housing, wages, pensions and public services,” along with the signatures of the calling organizations. The route went through Portales, Gran Vía, and Vara de Rey until it ended at the Espolón.
Despite the light rain that fell throughout the afternoon, participation increased as the demonstration advanced through the center of Logroño, until it turned into a crowd that continued to grow even upon arrival at the Espolón, around 19:15 hours.
Throughout the itinerary, slogans such as “Against capital, union strike,” “Guilty landlords, responsible governments,” “The center of Logroño is not for tourists, it is for neighbors and unionists,” “Logroño will be the grave of rent-seeking,” or “From north to south, the struggle continues, whatever it costs” were chanted.
“MAJORITY FOLLOWING”
Before the start of the march, union spokespersons appeared before the media to assess the day’s proceedings. The general secretary of UGT La Rioja, Jesús Izquierdo, has said he trusts that the demonstration would be “historic” because of the “majority following” recorded in practically all sectors.
Izquierdo stressed that their goal is to push policies “that defend the interests of people” and that the business community, especially the Riojan one, “should distribute the wealth that is being generated in all the companies.” He insisted that it is time for political leaders “to realize that some things have to change. The first one is housing, because it is not possible for up to 70% of wages to be spent on paying rent or paying the mortgage.” He also recalled the importance of pensions, “which are protected by law.”
The union leader has also emphasized the urgency of improving wages: "It is not possible that there should continue to be poor workers in our country who have difficulties making ends meet." She has taken the opportunity to recognize the effort of those who have chosen to go on strike and to give up their salary "to try to protect our rights."
"THIS IS ONLY THE BEGINNING"
The spokesperson for the Sindicato de Vivienda de La Rioja, Cristina Briongos, has described the monitoring of the strike and the mobilization as "quite positive." As she explained, "this strike is only the beginning." "We are building a grassroots organization from below, day by day, neighborhood by neighborhood, house by house. And this is the result, having managed to force the calling of a general strike after 14 years with acceptable results."
Briongos has argued that they will keep mobilizing "until there are no indefinite rental contracts that give us stability, until housing is taken out of the hands of vulture funds and we manage to restore the right to housing to people" because, she assured, "we will continue to fight."
"LET THEM COME AND SEE"
The general secretary of CCOO La Rioja, Rodrigo Alfaro, has congratulated the population for their support for a strike which, he recalled, "neither wanted nor supported the Government of Spain, nor the opposition, nor the Government of La Rioja, nor any majority party."
"Well, here they are, let them come and see, a movement, a historic mobilization in this city and this region that will force them to get their act together and to set out some specific policies and proposals," he highlighted.
"WE ARE NOT THREE OR FOUR"
Representing the CNT, Susana Verano has stressed that in the protest "there are not three or four people," but rather "a strike and a political demonstration." In her speech, she focused on the situation of women who "suffer 16 percent wage gaps."
On the part of STE Rioja, Nuria Miguel has called for "more investment in public education and less privatization." Along the same lines, José Sánchez, from CGT Rioja, has provided a significant fact: "That of Red Eléctrica, which showed that today, compared with last Wednesday, the peak had been as much as 15% less electricity consumption."
At the end of the march, a manifesto reading is scheduled at the Espolón logroñés, in which it is stated that "there are alternatives."
"UNIVERSAL HOUSING WILL BE A CONQUEST"
In that text it is reminded that each right achieved is proof "of what our class has been capable of achieving when it has organized and stood up and faced up to it: the 8-hour day, paid vacations, or maternity leave are the result of that. Right now, the meat industry is also fighting with a five-day strike. And we are not going to stop. And we are clear that universal housing will also be a conquest achieved with our organization and our struggle."
The conveners argue that "we are facing the same enemy with different faces: employers, rentiers, and the governments that support them" and warn that it is not enough to trust in institutions. They denounce that "neither the local government, nor the regional government, nor the 8 years of central government have done anything to solve the housing problem. They have stopped us, they have condemned us, they have watered the rentiers with public money, and they have fed, year after year, those who live off our salary and work."
In their opinion, "no patch is going to solve the housing crisis or job insecurity. The misery of the working class is not something arbitrary or temporary, but the result of the capitalist system, an economic model that has turned a fundamental need into a commodity."
The manifesto also recalls that today, November 11, "19 years have passed since a fascist military man assassinated Carlos Palomino after a demonstration. Two weeks ago, two young people suffered a brutal assault by a group of fascists in our own city. The rise of the reaction is manifested in the targeting of migrant people, beatings of LGTBIQ+ people, the advance of chauvinism, the proliferation of groups of the unemployed, and the persecution of unionism."
It also refers to what happened in Logroño with the so-called 'No Case' from November 14, 2012, "the police setup of the last general strike." In the face of this, they assure that "we are not going to allow them to divide us as a class."
The convening organizations set out specific demands. They call for the expropriation of all vacant housing, the housing intended for tourist use, and that which is in the hands of large landlords to create a large permanent public park. They demand indefinite rental contracts with affordable prices, linked to real wages, the immediate suspension of all evictions, the reduction of the working week to 35 hours, and an update of wages and pensions that allows people to live with dignity. In addition, they require quality public services for the working class and towns in which people can live and work.