Spanish labour unions on Thursday called a general strike for June 20, on the eve of a European Union summit in Seville, to protest against government plans to tighten unemployment benefit rules affecting Spain's 2.4m jobless.
The general strike will be the first faced by José María Aznar's (pictured) centre-right government, and marks the end of eight years of peaceful labour relations in Spain. The decision to go ahead with the protest follows recent strikes in Italy and Germany.
Mr Aznar's proposed social security reforms have united the country's rival trade unions - the Socialist-led Unión General de Trabajadores, and the larger, formerly communist, Comisiones Obreras. Mr Aznar wants to deny unemployment benefit to those who refuse jobs offered within a 50-km radius of their home town.
He also wants to phase out unemployment subsidies for agricultural workers, who are entitled to a monthly state income of about ?300 if they are gainfully employed for 32 days a year.
Mr Aznar's government believes generous unemployment benefits restrict labour mobility. Spain's unemployment rate is 12.75 per cent - the highest in the EU - but there are big regional disparities. The Basque country and the Mediterranean coast enjoy near full employment, while Extremadura and Andalusia, Spain's poorest regions, have the highest rates of unemployment.
The unions, however, reject any measures that restricts benefits. Already, they say, more than 40 per cent of Spaniards who are out of work are not entitled to unemployment benefits.
José María Fidalgo, a doctor who leads Comisiones Obreras, on Thursday said he opposed any change to benefit rules that "restricted labour rights and undermined job security".
Cándido Méndez, leader of UGT, called on the government to withdraw its controversial social security reforms. He said labour unions wanted economic policies that fostered stable employment, worker training programmes and technological innovation.
Mr Aznar accused the unions of sullying Spain's international reputation on the eve of the final summit of his EU presidency. Seville, capital of Andalusia, is a Socialist stronghold, and disgruntled farm workers are expected to take advantage of the big media presence at the summit to make their views heard.
Trade unions, particularly in the public sector, have accepted several years of real wage cuts in an effort to raise productivity.