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The strange case of Spanish commerce:
Trade union rights are violated also in EU member states

Spain is a strange case when it comes to trade union rights in commerce. Both Carrefour and Metro are openly collaborating with a yellow 'trade union' FETICO, which is actually a direct continuation to the vertical 'trade union' movement of the Franco dictatorship. Controlled by management, the function of FETICO is to keep out the real free and democratic commerce trade unions, FECOHT-CC.OO and FETCHTJ-UGT.

Joaquin Alite of UGT (left), Jan Furstenborg of UNI Commerce, Fernando Medina of CC.OO and Javier Siguero of UGT discussed trade union rights in Spain, when they met at UNI Headquarters in Nyon earlier in  the week.

UNI Commerce has intervened several times with the central managements of Carrefour and Metro, in Paris and Düsseldorf, but nothing has really changed on the ground. Local managers continue to discriminate the two real commerce unions while supporting and promoting FETICO's organising campaigns.

Lately, FETICO has lost many leading members to FECOHT-CC.OO and FETCHTJ-UGT. They have been able to report on the close cooperation between human resource directors and the yellow 'trade union', which takes place behind the scenes. A number of court cases have already been raised.

Next month, a manifestation will be held in Madrid, in support of trade union rights in commerce. Arranged jointly by the two UNI Commerce affiliates in Spain, the meeting will speak out against the improper involvement of Carrefour's and Metro's local managers, which constitute a violation of internationally guaranteed trade union rights.