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The Times, Toronto Star. November 1976

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The Times, Toronto Star. November 1976 Madrid bus Spanish Bill provides for workers free trade unions W F r o m Our Correspondent the discipline of political par- end strike W[ M a d r i d , N o v 5 ties or associations". T h e F r o m O u r Correspondent A B i l l opening the door to phrase " p o l i t i c a l p a r t i e s " , M a d r i d , N o v 4 free trade unions was submitted used for the first time i n a to the Cortes today. B i l l , proves that the existence Bus workers went back to T h e proposal, announced by of p o l i t i c a l parties has been w o r k here today after their the Government several weeks formally admitted. "• week-long strike w h i c h seriously ago, appeared today i n the offi- Legislation i n force prohibits j disrupted M a d r i d ' s transport c i a l bulletin of the Cortes. T h i s political " parties " but allows : j system. means that a study of the B i l l p o l i t i c a l " associations". O n l y i\ W o r k e r s ' sources claimed only can be undertaken by the com- those groups w h i c h have ;Com. ; 35 per cent of strikers had re- mittee on fundamental laws. p l i e d w i t h the requirement to '! turned to work, but the com* It proposes to legalize " p r o - register are legally recognized pany quoted a figure of 90 per ; fessional associations", pro- and they are k n o w n as "asso- •.! cent. There was also confusion / vided they are " n o t subject t o , ciations " . .] about the reasons for the return ' ! t o work, particularly as on ' • M o n d a y workers agreed not to r e t u r n u n t i l their arrested i colleagues were released. T h r e e workers belonging to 'j the " unitary p l a t f o r m " , the Mass at ^ .1 workers' negotiating team, are |j i n Carabanchel prison charged Madridialty w i t h sedition, and another four, 'charged w i t h the same offence, are on b a i l . forbidden " Buses were r u n n i n g n o r m a l l y ^ t h r o u g h o u t the day_ and troops F r o m H a r r y Debeiius y V .'jwho have been d r i v i n g them for M a d r i d , Nov 9 V -the past week were withdrawn. The entrenched right wing, ; j'Riot police however were known as The Bunker, prepared j patrolling certain areas, partir cv.lurly near tho m a i n bus ¿tapot new ammunition for use against j a t Fuencaral to prevent any the Government and the C h u r c h {possible attempts by pickets to today after the Archbishop of I sabotage a return to work. M a d r i d had refused to allow a I There was only one report of requiem mass for General i an incident at a bus depot. Franco at a huge right-wing 4 It is believed that some of rally in the capital next week. Española J the workers' conditions w i l l now a be met. The evening newspaper Cardinal E n r i q u e y T a r a n c ó n •j Informaciones reported that t o l d a delegation of c i v i l « a r I members of the " platform *', veterans last Friday : " It is j made up of members of i l l e g a l foreseeable that a religious ,j trade unions, especially the ceremony might be deformed ; Comunist-dominated workers' in such an occasion." •; commissions, might be given The veterans, of the w i n n i n g j / J their jobs back. T h i r t e e n mem- side, led by Señor José A n t o n i o ] bers of the " p l a t f o r m " were Girón, plan to commemorate •'--} dismissed the first day of the the first anniversary of the I strike. dictator's death and the fortieth anniversary of the execution of I W o r k e r s and management the founder of the Falange, were meeting this afternoon on J o s é A n t o n i o Primo de R i v e r a , / t h e workers' demands w h i c h on November 20 with the r a l l y include an increase of about in the Oriente Plaza, where £50 a month. Franco so often heard the If the return to w o r k is a cheers of his supporters. 'success this w i l l be a f i l l i p for In an obvious attempt to take the Government's labour rela- the 'jtions. The authorities refused w i n d out of their sails, •to give i n and this tough atti- S e ñ o r A d o l f o S u á r e z , the P r i m e M i n i s t e r , has arranged for 9 rude could be the main reason requiem Masses to be held all jfor the end of the strike, over the country for the repose i A c c o r d i n g to a source close of the soul of the C a u d i l l o . : to the Government, ministers I while agreeing w i t h some of This move is likely to dis- 1 the demands d i d not want to courage many Francoites from making the journey to M a d r i d i give i n and so lay themselves for the anniversary rally. ! open to c r i t i c i s m of softness j ' f r o m the right. The Govern- ; A t the same time, K i n g Juan • ment needs the right's support Carlos has indicated that he I i n the Cortes to obtain the w i l l . attend the Mass at the 3 necessary two thirds majority V a l l e y of the F a l l e n . Franco's 1 for the major constitutional Wagnerian mausoleum in the mountains north of M a d r i d , j reforms. thus making it plain where the " o f f i c i a l " ceremony w i l l take place. The bigTRANSICIÓN basilica there, carved on* of solid rock, w i l l be filled by Government officials on a reserved-seat basis in order to reduce the possibility of incidents to a m i n i m u m . Señor Girón and some of his associates, are l i k e l y _ to be embarrassed by receiving for- mal invitations to attend and honour the Caudillo. The B u n k e r had already made it plain in public state- ments that it would convoke its " p a t r i o t i c " r a l l y even if the Government should refuse permission. However, the Gov- ernment's handling of the mat- ter is subtle, making it more attractive for Franco's mour- ners to assemble in many dif- ferent places, and for religious services only. In view of that tactic, and following the Archbishop's refusal to be identified with their cause, some of the more extreme elements of the Right Fundaciónare preparing leaflets denounc- ing the K i n g , Señor Suárez and his Cabinet as " t r a i t o r s " , and \ the Archbishop as a " red ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCÓ Freedom of expression in Spain for newspapers only Cortes to Television remains shackled .by debate restrictions of Franco era €^ % reform Bill F r o m W i l l i a m Chislett M e l i a , an M P , wrote i n El Pais national news are also reported next week M a d r i d , Nov 9 that it was " industrially obso- reliably to be Opus members. lete, economically extravagant, Senor Jesus M o r a , deputy The Spanish press has F r o m Our Correspondent intellectually reactionary, cul- director of information ser- changed radically since Gen- iSSMadrid, Nov 11 turally useless, politically nar- vices, was formerly chief eral Franco died, allowing vir- j|s T h e Cortes (Parliament) w i l l row, managerially undemocrat- reporter on El Alcazar, the I tual freedom of expression, but i S d e b a t e the long-awaited const!- i c and capricious " . newspaper of General Franco's ! &vjtutional reforms next week television is straddled between c i v i l war veterans, and the " W e have a television which p l u n d e r a procedure of emer- the old and new Spain. first director of the extreme is totally adjusted to a l l the jj^gency, it was learnt i n M a d r i d "M Television coverage of the right-wing magazine Fuerze defects of the r e g i m e " , he ^•jtoday.
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