Main Spanish union calls civil servant strike to protest government salary cuts

Spanish union calls civil servant strike

MADRID — Spain’s leading labor union has called a civil servants strike next month to protest government plans to cut salaries as part of a plan to reduce the deficit.

The General Workers Union said Thursday the stoppage would be staged June 2.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Wednesday announced a 5 percent wage cut for civil servants as part of a deficit-reduction plan to ease worries the country will slide into a debt crisis like that of Greece.

Spain has some 2.7 million civil servants.

UGT said it would begin a series of protests against the wage cut on May 20.

Zapatero met with the leaders of UGT and another big union, known as CCOO, Thursday to explain the measures.