WORLD WORLDWIDE EUROPE GERMANY BIELEFELD - news journal UPDATE - (en) Germany, FAU Bielefeld: Trade union work is not a crime! - Demonstration in Gijón on September 28th for the freedom of the six colleagues from La Suiza and for trade union freedom (ca, de, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]

 In 2017, our sister union CNT fought in the Spanish city of Gijón to

improve the working conditions of the workforce in the "La Suiza" pastry
shop. The issues were unpaid overtime and vacation, sexual harassment
and the dismissal of a pregnant colleague. After the boss turned down an
offer of talks, there were registered rallies and actions in front of
the company with leaflets being handed out, banners being displayed and
public speeches being made over loudspeakers. The police were always
present and there was not a single incident that they followed. However,
the opposing side responded to the willingness of the fighting
colleagues to talk with legal actions, including for coercion and claims
for damages in a complaint that was over 11,000 pages (!) long. A judge
at the regional court, known to be very anti-worker and anti-union,
followed the boss's request and sentenced 6 colleagues in 2021 to 3.5
years in prison without parole each and to a fine totaling EUR125,428,
to be paid to the employer. The CNT appealed, but the Spanish Supreme
Court confirmed the previous ruling last June. The remaining legal
remedies are negligible: going to the European Court of Justice or a
legal attempt to have the prison sentence suspended.

The CNT union, known for its clear class-fighting stance, has responded
to the rulings over the years not only with legal means but also with a
large number of public protests and with two central demonstrations in
Madrid and last June in Gijón under the motto "Trade union work is not a
crime!"
If the rulings set a precedent and become a legal standard, trade union
freedom and work in Spain would suffer a very massive setback. Because
other unions also see this attack in this way, there was a joint,
historically unique press conference of all major Spanish unions on July
13, 2024 to support the CNT in this conflict. Several dozen unions are
currently showing their solidarity and are calling for a demonstration
on September 28 in Gijón for the six colleagues from La Suiza and for
trade union freedom. The International Confederation of Labor (IKA,
icl-cit.org) is also calling for an international day of action on this
date. The FAU, always linked to the idea and the firm belief in the
strength of international class solidarity, is there!

You are not alone! ¡No estáis solas! You are not alone!

Freedom for the six colleagues from La Suiza! ¡Libertad para las seis
compañeras e La Suia! Freedom for the six from La Suiza!

Trade union work is not a crime! ¡Sindicalismo no es un delito! Labour
union action is not a crime!

International Secretariat
of the Free Workers Union (FAU)

Further information: Direct Action

Labournet
neues deutschland

https://bielefeld.fau.org/gewerkschaftsarbeit-ist-kein-verbrechen/
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