Extensive monitoring of the workers' strike to denounce the opening of Simply supermarkets on public holidays
- By decision of the Works Council, all the Simply supermarkets in Vitoria-Gasteiz followed a strike on 18 October which allowed a large number of supermarkets to be closed. The supermarket located on Avenida de Gasteiz aims to open its doors every Sunday, 365 days a year and from 07:00 to 01:00 hours: the workers of the area will strike every Sunday, with the aim of keeping the supermarket closed.
The workers of the Simply supermarket located on Gasteiz Avenue are clear that they do not want this supermarket to open its doors on Sundays. One of the ways to avoid this can be the decision of the Works Council (CGT, ESK, UGT): on Thursday 18 October all supermarkets of the same brand in Vitoria-Gasteiz have joined the strike, keeping many of them closed (as mentioned). In fact, from Gasteiz Avenue they have proposed a strike every Sunday until December 31.
The store, called SuperCor Express, was opened to the public in June at the Zulaika sports shop in Vitoria-Gasteiz. It will be open 365 days a year, with a wide schedule: the store that is part of El Corte Inglés is open from morning to late night. Now, with the beginning of the new course we have learned that the Simply supermarket, located on Avenida de Gasteiz, will also have a similar schedule.
From October 18 the Simply supermarket will have a new schedule: it wants to open its doors on Sundays and holidays. In addition, it will be open 365 days a year, from 07:00 to 01:00. In other words, it will only be closed for six hours.
The Works Committee has denounced that workers charge EUR 800 per month. “Now, as if it were not enough, they will also work on Sundays and holidays to further enrich the major brands. The excuse they put is that they want to offer a better service to society, but this is nothing but an attack on the quality of life.” Furthermore, the Works Committee considers that society does not need the following broad schedules: “The Vitorians have not asked for this broad schedule.”
On 21 and 28 October the concentrations will be repeated, coinciding with the day of the strike in the Basque Country.
Small businesses, the most affected
According to the unions, this new schedule of Gasteiz Avenue will not be an exception. In his view, the strategy of these shops is not isolated and will be extended to other brands in the near future. "The workers will always be the hardest hit. The shops that open on Sundays and holidays violate the right to rest and conciliation,” the LAB union has denounced.
But one of the biggest problems is getting to the shops and small shops next door. That is what the trade unions and the Works Council believe. “It will be impossible for them to compete with big companies.” However, this is not new. The protests in June took place in front of the SuperCor store and the unions strongly criticized the new working hours and conditions of the workers.
We brought this news from Hala Bedi to ARGIA with the free licenses CC-BY-SA.
I found the old news on the LIGHT ephemeris channel: On April 23, 1918, Irish workers went on a general strike in I. Against forced recruitment for World War II. Thanks to the response of the workers and independence supporters, Britain was forced to retreat.
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