Europe hit by austerity protests

[Watchman]

Europe hit by austerity protests

Public anger at government spending cuts spills
over into strikes and demonstrations across the continent.
Last Modified: 29 Sep 2010 09:52 GMT

Public sector workers across Europe are feeling the pinch as government austerity measures bite [AFP]
Demonstrations and strikes are taking across Europe in protest at deep
public-spending cuts being introduced by debt-laden national governments.
Labour leaders from across the continent called workers onto the streets to
take part in the largest protest of its kind in more than a decade to oppose
so-called austerity measures.
Europe lost millions of jobs during the financial crisis, and more look set to
vanish as public sectors across the region are shrunk by governments eager to save money.
Up to 100,000 people were expected to descend on Brussels, the capital of
Belgium and the European Union, on Wednesday, with other protests
planned in Spain, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal and Serbia.
"We will demonstrate to voice our concern over the economic and social context,
which will be compounded by austerity measures," John Monks, general secretary
of the European Trade Union Confederation, said.

Spanish action

Protests began in Spain the morning, with picketers throwing eggs at buses and
blocking lorries on a main thoroughfare in Madrid, the capital.
Striking workers also staged a pre-dawn sit-in outside a garage housing buses in
the city, screaming "scabs" at drivers attempting to get out onto the road.
Unions are angry at wage cuts and tax increases put in place by the country's
socialist government, amid high unemployment - with the jobless rate more
than doubling since 2007 hitting 20 per cent in July this year.
Other Europe-wide protests are also targeting a controversial EU plan to fine
governments that run unsustainable deficits, details of which is set to be
released by the European Commission on Wednesday.
The EU's finance ministers are due to meet in Brussels later this week to
discuss the proposals, which are designed to bolster confidence in the
euro currency. But unions argue will prompt governments to make spending
cuts so severe that national economies are plunged back into recession.
"This is a crucial day for Europe because our governments, virtually all of
them, are about to embark on solid cuts in public expenditures," Monks said.
"They're doing this at a time where the economy is very close to recession,
and almost certainly you'll see the economy go back into recession
as the effect of these cuts take place."

Public anger
Spending cuts have already triggered unrest in Greece, and with more
austerity measures to come, the possibility of civil strife spreading
across Europe is increasing. In Slovenia, public-service unions are continuing
a strike that started on Monday after the government froze workers' wages for two years.
There is widespread public anger that governments are making the cuts after
spending billions on propping up investment banks as they teetered on the
brink of collapse during the financial crisis. European governments were forced to ramp
up public spending to avert total meltdown during the global financial crisis,
leaving them with huge structural deficits.
Union leaders argue that the public are being made to pay for the bankers' mistakes.
"Those responsible for this crisis, the banks, the financial markets and the ratings
agencies are all too quick in asking for help from states and public budgets and today want
the workers to pay for their debts," said Jean-Claude Mailly,
a French labour leader who heads the FO union.
The pain of payback is being felt across Europe. In Greece, where the EU and
International Monetary Fund stepped in earlier this year to prevent the country
defaulting on its debts, severe austerity measures have already sent unemployment to a 11-year high.
Ireland, formerly known as the Celtic Tiger for its robust economy, is facing
unemployment at a 16-year high as welfare payments and civil service wages have been cut.
In Britain, a massive belt-tightening plan launched by the coalition government
will see some ministry budgets slashed by 25 per cent and an increase in the retirement age.
France and Italy are also planning major spending cuts to fill black holes in their
public coffers and are braced for more protests from unions, who say workers
will suffer disproportionately as a result.

Source:
Al Jazeera and agencies

 

[Watchman]

Thousands of workers have staged strikes and protests
across Europe in reaction to tough spending cuts introduced to remedy public deficits [Reuters]

Demonstrators from 30 different countries have
converged on Brussels, the Belgian capital, to protest cuts [Reuters]

Wednesday's general strike, the first in Spain in eight years,
saw transport grind to a halt in Madrid and Barcelona [Reuters]

Public sector workers were also on strike in Slovenia to
protest against government plans to freeze wages until the end of 2011 [Reuters]

Trade union leaders led marches in Brussels, the Belgian capital, while the
European Commission proposed tougher sanctions on
eurozone countries that breach EU budget rules [AFP]

 

[Watchman]

In Spain, protesters set fire to cars and hurled
eggs at buses as strikes and demonstrations
were held around the country [Reuters]

Activists clashed with police as anger over
tough austerity measures and a 20 per cent
unemployment rate spilled out onto the streets [Reuters]

Spain's two main unions said 70 per cent of civil servants and
public workers took part in the strike, however a government
minister put the figure at just seven per cent [Reuters]

A strike was also called in Greece, which has seen a
series of actions since the government imposed stringent austerity measures [AFP]

In Ireland, police arrested a man after a cement mixer crashed
into the front gate of the parliament building in Dublin, while unions held marches outside [AFP]

 

[Cestbon]

When Asian financial crisis in 1997. Now compare to Europe and US look like Asia can manage better than Ang Moh.

 

[Cruxx]

When Asian financial crisis in 1997. Now compare to Europe and US look like Asia can manage better than Ang Moh.

You may associate protests with disorder but Europeans tend to prefer fucking the gahmen than to spread their legs wide for the gahmen to fuck, quite unlike Asians. This is why workers in France get 6 weeks of paid holiday, the best health care system in the world, jobs for life, huge severance package et al.

 

[Cestbon]

You may associate protests with disorder but Europeans tend to prefer fucking the gahmen than to spread their legs wide for the gahmen to fuck, quite unlike Asians. This is why workers in France get 6 weeks of paid holiday, the best health care system in the world, jobs for life, huge severance package et al.

So many benefit , the money have to come from somewhere. Gov keep on borrowing the money to keep the lifestyle in the end they have to pay. The next generation will have to pay for current spending.
Europe look like only Germany can only manage the financial spending. Many are on the road to bankrupt if they keep on continue the current spending.

 

[Cruxx]

So many benefit , the money have to come from somewhere. Gov keep on borrowing the money to keep the lifestyle in the end they have to pay. The next generation will have to pay for current spending.
Europe look like only Germany can only manage the financial spending. Many are on the road to bankrupt if they keep on continue the current spending.

Agree. I'm not defending their indulgence. It's the Asian unthinking acquiescence to authority that I've a problem with. Sinkies like to laugh at Europeans, Taiwanese and South Koreans for taking to the streets in protests, deluding themselves that they are too restrained and civilised for such actions. But I can assure you, the joke's on Singapore. Singaporeans aren't restrained. And no, it's not apathy either. Singaporeans are just humji. Call me a quitter but I'm glad I won't be a Sinkie for long.

 

[silliporean]

Asians especially sinkies are not docile without a reason because a lot of us see no reason to walk the streets and burn tires and to beat up the police during protest and riots. remember it is not the police's problem in the first place.

European owing to the education and upbringing are more vocal and confrontational, it is true that it is good for the people as a whole but it is also a double edged sword. When European workers wanted higher wages, better healthcare AND most of all shorter working hours, it will only mean that the labor cost increase will spike up the production cost. Their strong labor unions laws are so strong that they literally forced their own factories to shift out off Europe for production elsewhere in order to survive.

With the already lesser job opportunities at the European front, their spending did not decrease, chalking up credits that crippled their entire countries and off course the problem is so big, it spilled over to the rest of the world.

Singapore depended on the rest of the world for its prosperity and jobs, are also screwed. With Singapore's Government plans to bring in more talent seizing the opportunity of high unemployment rate in Europe and Americas, her own citizens will end up as bigger losers because all that ever came were people from a least sophisticated economy - Myanmar, Philippines, East Malaysia, China, India etc

We have now in Singapore people from 3rd world countries managing 1st world projects!! Some of them come from countries that dont even have constant water and electricity supply and they are designing computer systems and electrical systems eyc...need I say more?

 

[neddy]

When Asian financial crisis in 1997. Now compare to Europe and US look like Asia can manage better than Ang Moh.

Thank goodness Singaporeans are obedient and will accept paycut willingly.

Every Europeans know that it is the rich elites who mess up their economy and blame the govt for overspending.