Striking out.

Do trade union officials really know the full extent of the state of the Spanish economy? Well let me enlighten them;Spain has at the moment about 5.5 million unemployed, the highest in the European Union. The Spanish economy is in recession. Spanish banks are in the process of being bailed out by the European Union to the tune of about 70 billion euros. Many economists believe that the next step will be a Spanish government bail-out. Right, taking all this into account do you think it is the right time to go on strike? The only bright light at the moment for the Spanish economy is the tourism industry. So what do the trade unions do?call for strike action among hotel workers and even coach drivers are planning industrial action. Even if the strike is called off at a later date, the damage has already been done. The Bulletin´s news article about the strike threat which we publish today will be winging its way back to Britain this morning to land on the desks of senior officials in the British tourist industry. They may feel obliged to take action. No-one wants to go on holiday to a place where industrial action which directly affects them is taking place. It is so stupid. A good summer season could help Spain finally move clear of recession. A strike threat could destroy the industry and mean that thousands of late holiday bookings will not materialise. A summer of discontent with an economy in recession.