Workers promise ‘war’ if auto giants close

The struggle continues to save 1,600 Delphi workers’ jobs in Cádiz, Spain. Since the announced plant closing earlier this year, there has been no let up in the militancy in streets throughout the Andalucía region. There have been huge protests, a sit-down and a general strike April 18 in 14 cities. Delphi unions took part in the huge May Day protests across Spain. On at least three occasions, most recently May 7, workers have blocked roads with burning barricades.

The workers are singing “No Nos Moverán”—the Spanish translation of the old labor standard, “We Shall Not Be Moved.” They chant “Si Delphi cierra, guerra, guerra, guerra.” (If Delphi closes, war, war, war) However, the most popular banner slogan, “Delphi is not closing,” rejects that “if.”

Meanwhile a one-week strike at GM’s Opel plant in Antwerp, Belgium, has been extended to protest GM’s threatened job cuts. GM workers across Europe held a one-day strike in solidarity with their Belgian sisters and brothers. A nationwide autoworkers’ strike in Germany was averted at the last minute when Porsche, Bosch, and DaimlerChrysler agreed to worker demands. Short strikes were also held at the Volkswagen plant in Skoda, Czech Republic, to protest job cuts there.

While not yet widespread, sit-down strikes are happening here and there—in Canada, Australia and Spain. On April 18 at an electronics plant in Southern Wales, 130 Solectron employees, all slated to lose their jobs, sat down to protest a visit by European Union Vice President Thomas Schraeder.

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