Metalworkers' strike sets the streets of city in southern Spain alight

The first day of strike action by metal sector workers in Cadiz in the Andalucía region of southern Spain, demanding an improvement in their collective agreement, set the streets of the city alight on Wednesday with various incidents and altercations with the National Police, as well as causing disruption to rail and road traffic.

The first incidents involved the burning of numerous containers, as well as the throwing of bottles and stones at the riot police when the riot police began to charge at the demonstrators to prevent the fire and damage to street furniture.

The day's protest began with roadblocks caused by burning tyre barricades on the accesses from the city of Cadiz via the two bridges, but these were dispersed and traffic was restored an hour later. Rail traffic to and from Cadiz was also affected by a fire near the railway infrastructure, which affected commuter trains as well as those connecting Cadiz with Seville.

In addition, some of the striking workers started an impromptu demonstration that ended in a confrontation with the police when they arrived at the headquarters of the metal sector employers.

The National Police arrested six people, one of them a minor, for public disorder and damage to street furniture, while one man was injured by an impact to the head, but did not require hospitalisation, according to 112. Andalucía

The unions blame the strike and its consequences on the employers in the sector and their refusal to negotiate an improvement in the collective agreement. The secretary general of the metal sector of the UGT in Cadiz, Antonio Montoro, said yesterday that the first day of the strike has been "more tense" than was initially expected due to "the attitude" of the employers and their refusal to improve the collective agreement.

The metal sector is very powerful in the province of Cadiz as it is a strategic industry with many main and auxiliary companies linked especially to the naval and aeronautical sectors, with almost 30,000 workers and nearly 5,000 companies.

Mayor of Cadiz, Bruno García, yesterday called for dialogue between trade unions and employers to reach an agreement between the two sides, also asking that the workers' protests be carried out in a peaceful manner.