This week the streets are plastered with signs saying FOLGA XERAL. People are buzzing about, are you going? I don't know, are you? Public notices are being sent out that transportation will be shut down.
That's right people. Tomorrow, November 14, 2012, not only the entire country of Spain, but also other major countries (like Portugal, Greece, and Italy) in the EU are organizing a general strike against austerity. The bus services won't be running. Iberia has cancelled several national and international flights due to employee shortages. The trains will shut down. All catering service and school bus services will be closed. The local bakery, tailor, and candy shop all had signs that they will shut their doors for the Huelga (Strike).
Unfortunately I do not follow politics in Spain as closely as I probably should, so I don't entirely understand the true intentions and reasons for this general strike other than the general public disagreeing with the spending of its governments' budget. At 11:30am (Spain time) tomorrow morning thousands of people in Vigo will join together at Plaza Espana to voice their disagreement with the government decisions.
Unfortunately for teachers, if we do not attend work this day, we do not get paid. While I have heard from many other schools in the area where my friends teach that most teachers will not be attending school, the majority of the staff at my school have expressed that they can't see themselves loosing 100 Euro for a strike. So as usual (actually 30 minutes earlier) I will head to school tomorrow. Whether or not there will be students there is another story. Since all bus companies and catering companies are shutting down tomorrow it is likely that the majority of our students will not attend school tomorrow.
I am a little sad that I still have to go to work tomorrow, since everyone has told me hardly any students will show up at school, because I think it would be a real once in a lifetime experience to attend the huelga events happening tomorrow. But all in all, I still will be able to see the effects this labor strike has on the country.
If you are interested in whats going on, here is an article that gives some general information about this Muti-national strike.
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