Under the motto “Ezkerraldea martxan, for a dignified future”, a march has been organized for the 28th time in the Left Margin to denounce precariousness and social cuts. On 19 June, trade unions, associations and workers from Sestao went to the Vizcaina town of Santurtzi for the tour. The organizers have called for an equitable distribution of wealth in order to resolve the structural crisis caused by the capitalist system.

Actors from various sectors of society have participated in the concentration. On the part of the unions, the demonstration was convened by ELA, LAB, STEILAS, ESK, CGT-LKN and CNT, among others. Social rights organizations (Berrio-Otxoak and the Office of Social Rights of Santurtzi), feminist and care associations (Argitan, Neba-Neba and City de la Guarda), student and youth organizations (Ikama, Harian and Ernai) and ecologist groups (Eguzki and Barakaldo Naturala) have also attended. Finally, the Bizkaia and Ezkerraldea pensioners’ associations have joined the call, as well as a number of employees of companies with labour disputes: Staff Commissions of the ITP Aero-PCB Hospital, Petronor, Mediapost and San Juan de Dios.

The organizers have made numerous demands during the march in various areas, but have emphasised that all the complaints lodged have one single culprit. In the manifesto that has been published today, they have pointed out that the situation in society has not been caused by the coronavirus: “This economic, social, ecological and democratic crisis has been caused by strong capitalism and now the excuse of the pandemic will be used to continue accumulating more wealth in fewer hands.” In this regard, they explained that the solution lies in the equitable distribution of wealth, especially to cope with the social emergency in the Left Margin (low wages, redundancies and precariousness).

Building on the occasion of the march, the organisers have called for the abolition of labour and pension reforms and have called for a minimum wage of EUR 1,200 and a minimum pension of EUR 1,080. From the point of view of financing, a complaint has been made against the increase in military spending in the Spanish State. In the public sphere, a quality service has also been called for, especially in favour of a dignified public care system and a feminist society that puts an end to violence against women.

Previous mobilisations

The general strike called for by the Charter of Social Rights of Euskal Herria on 30 January 2020 and the demonstration against deindustrialization on 17 April in Sestao marked the strike on 19 June. All of them have called for a system aimed at "a dignified life".