The Government approves the pardon for ‘The Six of Switzerland’ | Economy | EUROtoday

This Tuesday, the Council of Ministers authorised the pardon for The six of Switzerland, 5 girls and one man sentenced to 3 years and 6 months in jail for severe coercion and against the law in opposition to the administration of justice for making an attempt to guard the labor rights of one in all them. The six union members of the National Confederation of Labor (CNT) entered jail on July 10 of final yr and on the 18th of the identical month they obtained the third diploma, so since then they’ve been serving their sentence in an open regime.

According to the Ministry of Labor, the division that proposes the pardon measure, the pardon advantages the six convicted girls and is partial in nature, on condition that “the law prohibits total pardons with a report against the sentencing court.” This implies that the monetary penalties aren’t forgiven (round 150.00 euros), however the jail sentence is.

Yolanda Díaz’s division defines the conviction of those union members as “inappropriate in a democracy.” “”Defending the rights of employees just isn’t against the law, nobody must be in jail for defending labor rights,” says Díaz, in statements provided by his ministry. The Government spokesperson, Elma Saiz, has referred to the approval of the pardon after being asked about it by journalists at the press conference after the Council of Ministers.

For its part, the CNT expresses in a statement distributed this Tuesday its gratitude for “the gesture of partial pardon”, but highlights that “it arrives late.” “It comes after punishment. It comes after making an attempt to show solidarity into against the law. If they’re out right this moment, it isn’t due to the benevolence of the Government, however due to the collective power of the organized working class,” adds the CNT, in favor of “unionism that bothers” and “that factors the finger on the boss.” “The pardon granted to the companions known as The Six of Switzerland It is not a gesture of generosity from power. “It is the direct result of the struggle,” they insist.

The events for which they were convicted date back to June 2015, when one of the workers at the La Switzerland pastry shop (Gijón, Asturias) began to feel unwell. According to the CNT, he asked his boss to go home, but he refused. The employee, who was pregnant and feared losing the baby, called her partner, who came to the establishment and during an argument with the owner damaged one of the refrigerators with a slap. The owner reported the couple and the woman took sick leave due to the risk of miscarriage.

Two years later, the employee, on maternity leave, went to the CNT to help her negotiate her dismissal because she did not want to work at La Switzerland again. The union requested compensation of just over 6,000 euros (for payment of overtime, vacation days, unfair dismissal…) and the withdrawal of the complaint against the couple, but the owner did not accept.

The CNT decided to put pressure on him by organizing 15 rallies in front of the bakery, located on a long commercial street with two lanes in each direction, Schultz Avenue, from May to September 2017. At that time, the members of the CNT gathered in front of the premises, a small business, where two more employees worked—in addition to the owner, his wife and his daughter. Half of the protests were reported to the Government Delegation. The other half, no. Only a dozen people went to the first ones (all from the CNT). Later, more people joined in, often residents of the neighborhood. Sometimes up to 80 protesters.

The ruling, ratified by the Supreme Court, considers that the owner was forced to close the business due to pressure and change cities, with the consequent economic and psychological loss. The union members, for their part, claim that the bakery was already for sale before the events occurred. “Due to what happened, they sold it quickly and quickly, losing money: that is why the sentence asks for compensation of 120,000 euros,” explained the son of the owners, Pablo Álvarez Meana. An amount that was paid partly by the union and partly by raising funds through raffles, donations and concerts, according to the CNT.

The legal professionals of the convicted argued that the occasions occurred in 2016 and 2017 and that the entire defendants are at present inserted in society, with work, household, youngsters and a life that was going to be interrupted by getting into jail. But the choose didn’t take his allegations into consideration and agreed to his imprisonment instantly.