Working on this new server in php7...
imc indymedia

Los Angeles Indymedia : Activist News

white themeblack themered themetheme help
About Us Contact Us Calendar Publish RSS
Features
latest news
best of news
syndication
commentary


KILLRADIO

VozMob

ABCF LA

A-Infos Radio

Indymedia On Air

Dope-X-Resistance-LA List

LAAMN List




IMC Network:

Original Cities

www.indymedia.org africa: ambazonia canarias estrecho / madiaq kenya nigeria south africa canada: hamilton london, ontario maritimes montreal ontario ottawa quebec thunder bay vancouver victoria windsor winnipeg east asia: burma jakarta japan korea manila qc europe: abruzzo alacant andorra antwerpen armenia athens austria barcelona belarus belgium belgrade bristol brussels bulgaria calabria croatia cyprus emilia-romagna estrecho / madiaq euskal herria galiza germany grenoble hungary ireland istanbul italy la plana liege liguria lille linksunten lombardia london madrid malta marseille nantes napoli netherlands nice northern england norway oost-vlaanderen paris/Île-de-france patras piemonte poland portugal roma romania russia saint-petersburg scotland sverige switzerland thessaloniki torun toscana toulouse ukraine united kingdom valencia latin america: argentina bolivia chiapas chile chile sur cmi brasil colombia ecuador mexico peru puerto rico qollasuyu rosario santiago tijuana uruguay valparaiso venezuela venezuela oceania: adelaide aotearoa brisbane burma darwin jakarta manila melbourne perth qc sydney south asia: india mumbai united states: arizona arkansas asheville atlanta austin baltimore big muddy binghamton boston buffalo charlottesville chicago cleveland colorado columbus dc hawaii houston hudson mohawk kansas city la madison maine miami michigan milwaukee minneapolis/st. paul new hampshire new jersey new mexico new orleans north carolina north texas nyc oklahoma philadelphia pittsburgh portland richmond rochester rogue valley saint louis san diego san francisco san francisco bay area santa barbara santa cruz, ca sarasota seattle tampa bay tennessee urbana-champaign vermont western mass worcester west asia: armenia beirut israel palestine process: fbi/legal updates mailing lists process & imc docs tech volunteer projects: print radio satellite tv video regions: oceania united states topics: biotech

Surviving Cities

www.indymedia.org africa: canada: quebec east asia: japan europe: athens barcelona belgium bristol brussels cyprus germany grenoble ireland istanbul lille linksunten nantes netherlands norway portugal united kingdom latin america: argentina cmi brasil rosario oceania: aotearoa united states: austin big muddy binghamton boston chicago columbus la michigan nyc portland rochester saint louis san diego san francisco bay area santa cruz, ca tennessee urbana-champaign worcester west asia: palestine process: fbi/legal updates process & imc docs projects: radio satellite tv
printable version - js reader version - view hidden posts - tags and related articles

Spain; Students on the Streets against right wing

by J.J. Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2002 at 12:35 PM

Spain

Students on the streets against the right wing
Mass mobilisations against the education reform of the right wing government in Spain
On October 29, high school students and teachers, called by the teachers' unions CCOO and UGT and the Students Union and with the support of the parents' associations, went out on the streets. This was the largest mobilisation in the education sector since 1986-87 and had been called to protest against the new education reform imposed by the right wing PP government, the misnamed "Quality Law". The strike was followed by 90% of students and by 60% of the teachers, despite a campaign against on the part of the conservative teachers' unions, and there were also strikes in some universities. The largest demonstrations took place in Madrid with more than 100,000 people and Barcelona with more than 150,000. There were more than 65 demonstrations up and down the country, and the mood was extremely politicised and clearly against the right wing government.

The education counter-reform proposed by the government must be seen within the framework of the increased attacks against the working class by a ruling class faced with a worsening economic situation, and also as part of the intensification of the class struggle against the policies of the government. The highest point so far in this process was the workers' general strike on June 20 against the government decree which introduced cuts in the unemployment benefit, reduced the cost for bosses of making workers redundant and put an end to subsidies to rural workers'. As a result of the strike and also of the massive national demonstration in Madrid on October 5, the PP government was forced to withdraw some of the measures in the decree, thus showing its weakness and lack of social base.

The government's counter-reform of the education sector had already started last year with a reform of the Universities' Law. The "Quality Law" has the same general lines: by demagogically using the data on the levels of failing students, the PP wants to attack state sector education and promote its privatisation, increase state subsidies to private schools and prevent the access of students from working class families to higher education. The law creates a number of educational "itineraries" that divide students and mean the expulsion from the education system of the students with more difficulties, and introduces a new additional exam ("revalida") in order to get your high school degree, without which one cannot go to university.

The aim of the ruling class is to "adapt" the education system to the needs of the labour market. Despite the clear social need for more doctors (to put an end to hospital waiting lists), engineers (to build cultural centres in working class areas) or teachers (so that we can have quality education), from the standpoint of the capitalists it is a waste of money to train university graduates when, under capitalism, most of them end up unemployed.

In order to stop this law, after the success of the strike on October 29, the Students Union made a proposal to the teachers' union to call for a further strike. Unfortunately, the teachers' leaders refused. The Students Union however has gone ahead with its own plan of struggle. On the week of November 11-17 we called for a week of action, including joint demonstrations with parents and teachers, mass meetings in the schools and mass leafleting; on November 21 the Students Union has called for a new day of strike in the schools and a day of action in the University, with demonstrations in the main cities of the country; and finally, on November 23 there will be a national demonstration in Madrid with the support of CCOO, UGT and parents' organisations.

The key to defeat the government is to keep up the pace of the struggle. The Students Union is ready to continue with the mobilisations, and on October 29 it was clear that teachers and parents are also prepared to struggle. The ball is now on the court of their union leaders. Last year, the struggle against the reform of the university law ended up in a defeat after the more than 300,000 people participated in a national march in Madrid. That proved the need to continue the struggle and to involve wider layers, starting with the need for the teachers to participate. Only a massive and sustained struggle can achieve victory, as was the case with the struggle against the government decree on the unemployment benefit. The Students Union is therefore committed to defeat the "Quality Law" and to fight for an alternative based, not on the status quo, but on a genuine reform in favour of the students from working class families, based on a democratic, high quality state sector education.

Juan J. López
Executive Cte. Students Union

For a video record see: http://www.sindicatodeestudiantes.org/videos/manis29oct2002.ram
Also see the website of the Spanish Student Union at: www.sindicatodeestudiantes.org

Related articles:

Half a million workers march through Madrid against the "decretazo" by Maria Castro (October 8, 2002)
Seville EU Summit 200,000 march against the Europe of Capital and War by Julio Cruz. (June 26, 2002)
Three million march on Spanish general strike (June 21, 2002)
The General strike in Spain by Alan Woods in Malaga. (June 20, 2002)
Spain - 300,000 Andalusian workers march in Seville by Raquel Estevez. (June 10, 2002)
[Back to In Defence of Marxism] [Back to Western Europe]
Report this post as:
Share on: Twitter, Facebook, Google+

add your comments


© 2000-2018 Los Angeles Independent Media Center. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by the Los Angeles Independent Media Center. Running sf-active v0.9.4 Disclaimer | Privacy