Last Saturday, the 10th of July, a large group of people demonstrated against Mercadona in Valencia to publicly denounce the harassment which workers at this cruel business are subject to.
People started to gather in front of the Mercadona situated on the post road in Valencia. The idea was to demonstrate for an hour in front of the entrance of the supermarket to denounce the consecutive dismissals of various comrades and the harassment that continues inside the store. Comrades from Alicante, Elda, Alcoi, Sagunto, Pilar de la Horadada, Radio Malva and other sympathizers who wanted to find out about CNT's positions towards the abuses of Mercadona came.
People started to hand our leaflets and and we found out that the company had already learned about the call for a protest and had hired security guards especially for the occasion. The business policies of this firm was loudly denounced over megaphones. A girl was discovered making videos and photographs of the demonstrators and had flee, to the astonishment of the passersby who saw the anti-union and espionage tactics typically used by Mercadona against all who criticize their abuse. In a moment of tension, a security guard hired by the company came out of the shop and tried to assault a comrade. He had to quickly flee and hid like a coward.
At 12:30 we left and marched in a block to another Mercadona located nearby. Hundreds of leaflets were distributed around the neighbourhood and the demonstrations of solidarity by the people there was overwhelming. A few people who knew the ex-workers affected joined the demonstration during its short but intense path.
At 13:00 we arrived at the shop on the 1 de Mayo Avenue, where a comrade who had been working there was a direct victim of the harassment and abuse of the coordinator of the facility. This shop had also hired security services for the occasion and two guards were observing us from inside the store. Many neighbours who knew the comrade joined in and refused to shop at such establishments. What surprised us most was the attitude of the two security guards who did not allow people who had a leaflet in their hands to enter and were grabbing them out of people's hands and throwing them in the trash. We also discovered various vehicles who were circling around the area and videotaping the protest; they were invited to leave the area immediately.
The event ended at 14:00 with shouts and applause for the protest and the combative nature sustained during its 2.5 hours. Thousands of leaflets were distributed and we managed to empty two shops almost completely. The whole neighbourhood was informed of the bullying practices of Mercadona. The comrades from Radio Malva did live interviews with some of the workers affected who told about their conflicts. You can listen to this here: http://radioslliures.org/audios/
More than five years have passed since the CNT started to take a stand against this cruel company: protests, demonstrations, informational pickets and a long, indefinite strike. The fight has just begun and until Mercadona stops its harassment, mobbing and anti-union repression, we will not abandon our struggle, even though the other unions remain silent and actively collaborate with the management to get rid of workers who are fighting for their dignity.
For more information on Mercadona and to access the forum, go to: http://www.cnt.es/mercacoso
MERCADONA HARRASSES AND DISMISSES
THE CNT CANNOT BE BOUGHT OR SOLD
ORGANÍZE AND FIGHT!
Source and photos: http://www.cnt.es/noticias/cronica-y-fotos-manifestacion-en-valencia-contra-el-acoso-laboral-de-mercadona
Translation: http://cia.bzzz.net/english_news
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