The ELA and LAB trade unions have called for a strike, and according to Maddi Aspiazu, a member of the ELA trade union, in the department stores they need another digitalisation model: “Today we have called a strike day because we see that the digitization model that companies want us to impose will bring the closure of shops and layoffs. We believe that another digitisation model that guarantees all jobs is possible, because we understand that there is no one left in trade.”

In the opinion of Aspiazu, the key is the reduction of the day: “We see that the agreements should be strong enough to bring down the annual day, because we understand that if there were fewer hours of work, there would be hours and work for everyone. More jobs could be created and, above all, not destroyed existing ones. At the time of industrialization, a 40-hour working week was achieved, and we understand that along that path there must also be a change in current digitalization.”

The trade workers who are on strike today are engaged in department stores, but ELA believes that alliances must be created with the workers of small shops: “We all know that this process of digitization is going to do a lot of harm to small traders, because big companies in the sector are going to use their strength to defend their interests above all.”