Labour Research December 2019

European news

Spanish unions welcome pact


The leaders of Spain’s two dominant trade union confederations, Unai Sordo of CCOO and Pepe Álvarez of UGT, have welcomed the decision of Spain’s two main left wing parties to form a new government. 


National elections on 10 November produced no dominant party. And even together, the social democratic PSOE party (120 seats) and the more radical Unidas Podemos (35 seats) are still well short of the 176 seats needed for a parliamentary majority. 


However, they could govern with sufficient support from some of the regional parties. Sordo described the agreement as “very positive”. And Álvarez welcomed the speed of the agreement, because those “who have nothing also have no more time” to wait.