The unions have responded to the statements made by the South Basque employers’ association on International Labour Health Day. It has been reported that the employer does not provide any means of preventing accidents at work, while the focus is on the absenteeism of workers. The unions have made appearances in several corners of the South Basque Country.
LAB, ESK, STEILAS, EHNE, Etxalde and CGT have made a double appearance, in Pamplona and San Sebastián. In the Paseo de Sarasate in Pamplona, the bodies of the 64 workers registered by these unions last year in the Southern Basque Country have been represented, in front of the Navarre Palace and the Labour Inspectorate. "Some who represented the workers of a funeral home have closed the bags of the dead," according to Joxerra Husbands, journalist of Berria.
They made a similar appearance in San Sebastian. A mosaic is formed on the beach of La Concha and the number 64 is represented in black attire and umbrella. The "double morality and inhumanity" shown by the employer in the face of accidents at work have been denounced in two apparitions: “As workers get sick, seriously injured and die, companies worry that they will continue to increase their profits by taking advantage of the idea of absenteeism.”
The ELA union held a political event in Bizkaia Areota. Both the government and employers have pointed out that the working class is responsible for accidents at work. The union recalls that last year 66 workers died in the Southern Basque Country, according to the ELA report. He emphasizes that the employer imposes working conditions that "lead to death" and "accuses" the workers of not wanting to work. Three workers who have suffered accidents at work have been invited to the room and their experiences have been made known. Event The business avarice can be transformed into a ferment of life. Dealing with capital, taking care of health has ended with a concentration dressed in the motto.
The CCOO and UGT have mobilized in Bilbao. The CCOO calls for a demonstration from Confebask. The union denounces the lack of prevention of the companies and condemns the "disastrous behavior" of the mutual societies, according to the News. The UGT meets separately to demand an anti-adversity plan. “It’s a day to remember those who have died or lost their health in workplace accidents.”