Tens of thousands rally for 'job dignity'

pulse

May 28, 2017 1:53 AM

People hold a banner that reads "Bread, work, roof and equality" during a demonstration in Madrid on May 27, 2017 to denounce degraded working conditions

Tens of thousands of people rallied in Madrid on Saturday for a "march of dignity" to demand better wages and job security as Spains economy improves.

Demonstrators from all over the country marched down Madrid's main avenue, the Gran Via, behind a banner reading "bread, work, homes and equality." Dozens of trade unions and leftwing groups joined the protest.

Organisers put the turnout at 200,000, while the local prefecture put it at only 6,000. An estimate by AFP journalists put it in the tens of thousands.

Labour reforms adopted in 2012 by the conservative government of Mariano Rajoy have helped to spur growth and bring unemployment down from 27 percent at the start of 2013 to 18.7 percent in the first quarter of this year.

But critics say the downside is that many jobs are precarious, with no guarantee of working hours, and are often poorly paid. The minimum wage in Spain is 825 euros ($922) per month.

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