Major demonstrations against cutbacks planned for coming Sunday in Spain

MADRID, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) — The Spanish Social Council on Tuesday announced a new series of demonstrations against the economic policies and the new budget for 2013 approved by government of Mariano Rajoy.

The demonstrations, which are planned in all of Spain’s provincial capitals this coming Sunday, are to “demand an exit to the crisis which guarantees economic reactivation, the creation of employment and the recovery of social protection.”

It is a response to the budget for 2013 announced Thursday, which contains a further round of sweeping cutbacks, including a 22 percent reduction in the budget for Spain’s Ministry of Health.

The organizers of the protests say that they are also considering calling a general strike “with a deep social character,” when the budget is being debated in the Spanish parliament.

“We are opening a timescale to look at calling a general strike,” UGT (General Union of Workers) leader Candido Mendez confirmed in a press conference on Tuesday, adding it was important to stop Rajoy’s government passing the proposed 2013 budget.

The last demonstration organized by the social council, which consists of over 150 different organizations, including the major labor unions, saw around half a million people take to the streets of Madrid to demand a referendum over the spending cuts introduced by the government.