Madrid
-
3,000 off-duty national police officers rallied outside the Ministry of
the Interior in Madrid on Saturday, protesting austerity measures and
budget cuts, including the loss of their Christmas bonuses.
The officers,
wearing blue caps, some wrapped in Spanish flags, blocked the central
Paseo de la Castellana Boulevard in Madrid, while their on-duty
colleagues looked on.
The protesters charged and threw fireworks into
the air. One banner said "Police officers can no longer take it."
One protester apparently required medical treatment, when a firework he intended to throw, went off in his hand.
The demonstrators
are members of the Confederación Española de Policía (CEP), the Unión
Federal de Policía (UFP) and the Sindicato Profesional de Policía (SPP).
As with all Spanish civil service workers, police are being hit by the
country's attempt to get the debt crisis under control. Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy revealed a 2013 austerity budget earlier this month, as
the country continues into its second recession in three years.
As part of the latest cuts, starting January 1, police will lose three
of the six days of supplementary holidays that they are allowed every
year, in addition to their regular vacation, wage cuts when on sick
leave, along with the loss of their Christmas bonus.
Fran Estacio, a 33-year-old officer from Valencia, told AFP, "We came to
express our anger at the way the government treats us, not only because
they have removed Christmas bonuses, but also because they are
eliminating our rights."
Unemployment in Spain hit a record twenty-five per cent this week, which is the highest since the Franco dictatorship ended almost 40 years ago.
Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/335638#ixzz2AX5NDbXX
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