Hundreds of people march in Madrid to guarantee public pensions

The conveners demand that the Constitution include a shield to the purchasing power of benefits

Half a thousand protesters marched this Saturday through the center of Madrid called by the State Table for the Shielding of Pensions (MERP) to demand that benefits not be privatized or cut. The march, which has been repeated in recent months with calls throughout Spain, has taken place between Jacinto Benavente square and Atocha street in the capital, and was made up of representatives of fifteen associations out of the 225 that make up the platform, as well as as well as those responsible for Más Madrid, Recupera Madrid and the Regional Federation of Neighbors.

In the closing speech of this call, Sara García, co-speaker of the table, explained that article 50 of the Constitution speaks of “adequate pensions, but not public pensions.” The conveners demand that the Magna Carta expressly recognize the public nature of these benefits and guarantees so that retirees do not lose purchasing power. Joanen Cunyat, co-speaker of the roundtable, stressed that the protest does not want to go against anyone, and that despite the different positions on the pension reform that the organizing organizations have, they are united by a single objective: “That they do not divide us, because the most important thing is unity”. Cunyat explained that with the shielding what they want is for privatization to be expressly prohibited.

Other protests

Also in the capital, several dozen people participated in a demonstration called by the CGT union against the rise in prices and for the recovery of the purchasing power of wages. The march took place between the headquarters of the CEOE and the Ministry of Economy to “make visible the discontent and weariness of millions of people” due to the “brutal rise in prices and the increase in the cost of services and basic goods.” The protesters denounced that it is increasingly difficult to lead a dignified life with the increases in transportation, energy, food or mortgages. “Families have to choose between paying their mortgages, bills or eating.”