Strikers clash with police outside Cadiz shipyard

Strikers clash with police outside Cadiz shipyard

Trouble broke out in Cadiz this afternoon, Tuesday, November 16, as strikers from shipyards in the province clashed with police. More than 20,000 shipyard workers are out on an indefinite strike, and gathered outside the large facilities of Navantia San Fernando, Dragados, and Airbus to protest.

Bonfires had been lit at the entrances to the factories, manned by pickets, blocking any entrance to the facilities. The most serious confrontation occurred in the Navantia shipyard of Cadiz. Here, the bonfires cut traffic on the industrial highway, leading to clashes between National Police officers and the protesters on Avenida de Astilleros, with stones being thrown at the police. This led to the police charging the picket line.

A second conflict reared up in Campo de Gibraltar, where workers from the large petrochemical industries of La Linea, Algeciras, and Los Barrios stopped their activity. Picketers had gathered at the Las Rosas roundabout, on the El Toril-La Linea CA-34 road, causing heavy retentions. Clashes resulted in one worker being detained, and four officers slightly injured.

A special operation has been launched by the Government to enable the surveillance and control of these strikes. Police intervention units (UIP) have been drafted in from Sevilla, and prevention and reaction units (UPR) from the entire province. They have been deployed at the entrances of the factories and the main urban and interurban communication routes.

The Guardia Civil has also devised a traffic support plan for the Bay of Cadiz area. They also deployed officers in the industrial estates and companies of Campo de Gibraltar. A reserve backup force has allegedly been made available in case security deployment needs to be increased.

Unions called this strike due to a continued blockage in the negotiations of the collective agreement between the unions and employers. Representatives of the workers are demanding an update of the wages, which the employers, harassed by the crisis after the pandemic, claim they cannot afford.

All attempts at rapprochement, including an Extrajudicial Service for Labour Disputes and the mediation of the Board last Friday 12, have failed so far. This gave rise to the indefinite strike that started today and adds to the work stoppages called for two days last week, which led to traffic cuts and demonstrations, as reported by cadenaser.es.

https://twitter.com/jonathanmartinz/status/1460562837911355399?s=20

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