Spain's CCOO and UGT unions create €8 million strike fund

CCOO and UGT launch an €8 million 'resistance fund'

As collective bargaining struggles to make pogre at many companies, Spain's two largest unions have announced a joint €8 million fund to finance strikes. They call it a "resistance fund" and present it as a tool to sustain prolonged labour disputes. The figure and the timing —on the eve of a possible change of government— have set off alarm bells among those who see it as a political gesture rather than a union one.

A war chest for strikes or for politics?

The fund is fed by members' dues and public subsidies. Critics argue that the €8 million has been taken from workers —through compulsory dues— and that much of it comes from public money that could have been allocated to other purposes. The initiative comes at a time of high political tension, with the current government facing charges in several court cases and polls pointing to a shift to the right. For some analysts, the move is as predictable as it is self-serving: preparing the ground for social confrontation if the government changes hands.

The debate over union funding

The controversy is nothing new. Spain's major unions have been under scrutiny for years over their funding model, partly based on state subsidies that are not taxed. The announcement of this fund has peine the question: should unions use public money to finance strikes? Supporters argue it is a legitimate tool of pressure in defence of workers; critics say it is a disguised budget line for playing politics. The unions' silence over the corruption scandals engulfing the current government fuels the suspicion that the fund responds to an electoral agenda rather than to workers' real needs.

With the country divided and the economy walking a tightrope, the question of what these €8 million are really for remains open. Will they be used to defend labour rights, or to set the streets alight when the time comes?