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Almost unspoken in Spain, there has been an explosion in the number of people working in temporary positions that have less protection under the law thatn regular employees.  There has been a low level insurgency of sorts against the temp agencies, whic at least from anectdotal evidence have been vandalized with choice slogans.  If you know the history of Spanish labor the temp situation is suprising. but part of the "liberalization" done by PSOE (Socialists) and the PP (Conservatves) alike.  This runs totally contrary to the rigid synidicalist labor law under the Franco Regime, and the labor pacts since 1975 (While only 1/3 of Spanish workers are in a union, something like 85% are covered by collective bargaining agreements.

40% of temporary contracts for  month and 1 out of every 4 less than 7 days (Translation mine)

During the past July INEM recorded a total of  1,453,333 temporary contracts, the highest rate evry record for a single month. Between February  and July, Acording to the UGT (Socialist trade union), the number of temp contracts signed monthly has increased 32%  Only in recording, this past July 72,697 temp contracts were written every day.

The UGT deonounced that althought the temp rate in Spain is triple the European average, in Spain the duration of contracts is a minimum, of such form as to give employers an unfair an unilateral advantage in the negotiation of  the times and conditions of the contract. Among those contracts with a fixed date only 0.9% last more than a year. By gender in fixed contracts 36% of men have contracts for less than a month, while for women this rate lies at 45%. The temp rate for 25 and under rises to 65% in Spain, the highest rate in Europe, where the median sits almost 30 points lower, at 38%.



And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg
by ManfromMiddletown (manfrommiddletown at lycos dot com) on Sat Sep 10th, 2005 at 01:24:29 AM EST
MfM - do you want to put this comment up as a diary, it's worth a thread of its own...

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Sat Sep 10th, 2005 at 04:27:00 AM EST
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I plan to, but I want to expand on it.  This is more than just a Spanish problem.  This is par and parcel of the labor "flexiblity" promoted by the neoliberals. Oddly enough thi flexibility seems to aim at making sure emplyees can grab their ankles and say thank you for getting the shaft after the boss  is finished.

And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg
by ManfromMiddletown (manfrommiddletown at lycos dot com) on Sat Sep 10th, 2005 at 10:36:40 AM EST
[ Parent ]
I second the motion...yes please a diary!!

"Once in awhile we get shown the light, in the strangest of places, if we look at it right" - Hunter/Garcia
by whataboutbob on Sat Sep 10th, 2005 at 11:23:27 AM EST
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