Spain protesters demand referendum

16 Sep 2012, 5:24 am   -   Source: AAP

Tens of thousands of people have marched in Spain's capital to demand a referendum on austerity measures.

Tens of thousands of people have marched in Spain's capital to demand a referendum on austerity measures enacted by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's administration.

Eight marches drawing thousands of people from different parts of the country converged on Madrid's downtown Plaza de Colon on Saturday, where those protesters were joined by teachers, health and social workers and other public-sector employees.

According to protest organisers, some 2000 chartered buses transported people to the capital to protest against the Spanish government's budget cuts and tax increases.

These latest anti-austerity marches - organised by the Social Summit, which comprises 150 grassroots organisations and Spain's biggest labour unions - were held under the banner "Let's Go! They want to ruin the country. We have to stop it!"

Some 65,000 people took part in the demonstrations, while a total of 507 buses brought people to the capital from other cities and towns, the national government's Madrid delegation said.

In speeches at the close of the march, the heads of Spain's UGT and CCOO labour federations, Candido Mendez and Ignacio Fernandez Toxo, urged Rajoy to pay heed to citizens' rejection of his budget cuts and said he holds the key to avoiding another general strike.

Shortly after taking office last December, the conservative premier overhauled Spain's labour law to make it easier for firms to hire and fire workers, a measure that triggered a 24-hour general strike in late March.

His government also has opted for a series of austerity measures, including increasing the value-added tax and reducing unemployment benefits, to bring Spain's budget deficit into line with European Union mandates.

Those moves have been widely unpopular in a country where the unemployment rate stands at nearly 25 per cent and more than 50 per cent among young people.

The Social Summit's declaration demands the Spanish government hold a plebiscite on a sovereign bailout the unions say the government is negotiating with the European Union.

The euro zone already has approved a 100 billioneuro ($A124.96 billion) rescue of Spain's troubled banks.

Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos, for his part, said on Friday the Rajoy government is aware it is asking society to make sacrifices but they are "unavoidable" in putting the country on a path to recovery.

The protests unfolded peacefully, although four people associated with the May 15th Movement were detained for refusing to identify themselves and at least 24 people were treated for dizziness, fainting fits or falls.

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