Tens of thousands of people from across the European Union are in Brussels Wednesday to join a massive protest against government budget cuts and austerity measures. The European Trade Union Confederation (EUTC) said it hopes 100,000 workers will take part in the protest in Brussels. The march coincides with a general strike in Spain. Demonstrations are also planned in several countries, including Italy, Greece, Ireland and Serbia.

""European trade unions will be demonstrating against the austerity measures adopted recently by many European countries, and to demand recovery plans in favor of quality jobs and growth,"" the EUTC said in a statement. The march in Brussels comes just as the EU Commission is proposing to punish member states that have run up deficits to fund social programs in a time of high unemployment across the Continent. The proposal, backed by Germany, is running into opposition from France, which wants politicians to decide on appropriate sanctions, rather than adhere to rigid rules alone. ""It is a bizarre time for the European Commission to be proposing a regime of punishment,"" said John Monks, general secretary of the EUTC, which is organizing the Brussels march. ""How is that going to make the situation better? It is going to make it worse,"" Monks said in an interview with Associated Press Television News. In Spain, workers rallied outside of train stations and prevented trucks from delivering produce as part of a protest against austerity measures imposed by a government struggling to slash its budget deficit and overcome recession. The unpopular cuts have helped Spain trim its central government deficit, but the unemployment rate is hovering around 20 per cent, and many businesses are struggling to survive. Spanish airline Iberia said it expected to operate only 35 per cent of its scheduled flights as some air traffic controllers and ground crews honored the strike call, while Ryanair said passengers on flights to and from Spain will only be permitted to carry hand luggage because many workers who handle checked luggage are expected to strike. Transit was also disrupted in Greece, which had to be rescued by the EU this spring to stave off bankruptcy and has also been forced to cut deep into workers' allowances. Greece has already held a series of rallies to protest the cuts and French workers recently held protests in response to a government plan to reform the pension system.
(Source: CBC)
Photo: Police officers stand in front of pickets in central Valencia, Spain, during a general strike on Wednesday. (Photo: Heino Kalis/Reuters