The
region of Galicia in northern Spain has been badly hit by
an oil spill following the sinking of the oil tanker, Prestige,
in November 2002. The economic and employment effects of the
disaster are enormous, especially for the region's major fishing
industry. The Basque coast has also been affected by the oil
spill. An all-incompetent Spanish government, responsible
for the ecological disaster, has set up a special fund, controversially
financed from the surplus of the social security scheme.
The
Prestige's hull cracked in a storm 13 November 2002 off Europe's
westernmost point of land, Cape Finisterre, on Spain's Costa
da Morte, or Coast of the Death. The oil tanker loaded with
77,000 tonnes of fuel oil, sanked near the coast of Galicia
after being towed out to sea --a death sentence issued by
the Spanish government--, instead of being taken into port
for rescue. Currents have since been carrying the spilt oil
towards the Galician coast, and it is now also reaching the
Basque coast. Fishermen and volunteers have been fighting
to clean up the sea and beaches in Galicia and in the Basque
coast.
The
economic and employment repercussions of the oil spill on
fishing, the environment, tourism and related activities are
enormous. Galicia's fishing fleet consists of 8,811 boats,
and the region is responsible for 40% of the total catch of
Spain, which is the largest fishing economy in the European
union and one of the largest in the world. In Galicia, 41,600
people work directly in fishing of whom 18,400 are in the
province of A Coruna, almost all of whom have been affected
by the oil slick. Additionally, 9,200 people work in shellfish
fishing and 13,422 in fish farming. This makes a total of
119,874 people in direct and indirect employment who have
been affected by the disaster, 12.2% of total employment in
Galicia.
But
there may be a greater ecological disaster on the horizon
as a huge stain on the Cantabrian sea was reported on 25 January
by the French media. Hundreds of miles of Basque coast are
already affected. It's no longer little balls, but plates
of oil that are now arriving on Basque beaches. Globes of
oil have washed up on dikes protecting Basque beaches in the
French state. Fuel oil stains were also found on Urdaibai,
a Basque biosphere reserve in the Spanish state. Hundreds
of Basque fishermen have been cleaning up in the Cantabrian
sea in an attempt to prevent the fuel oil from further entering
areas along the coast. They are counting the cost as Day One
for the anchovy fish season gets closer, and for the boats
to go out into that part of the Bay of Biscay known as the
Cantabrian Sea, a volatile and dangerous sea, which reacts
violently to climatic changes. Some 2,000 people work in anchovy
fishing; it is a further blow to an industry already on its
knees.
The
Spanish government has responded to the disaster by legislating
to limit fishing in the fishing grounds of Cantabria and the
North-West, and has provided a credit of public funds from
the surplus social security contributions of workers and employers.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar insists the decision
to tow the Prestige, instead of taken into port and the oil
pumped off, was appropriate, claiming no port would have accepted
a ship in such condition. Anxious to avoid the criticism Spain
faced, the French government promised an initial $52 million
to help, a move seen by many as a quick act to ease fears
over the potential damage the slicks will have on the French
fishermen and tourism. In western Navarre, the regional government
of three Basque territories hopes for good weather as 140
Basque fishing boats suck up slicks at sea.
Spain's measure was partly in response to an initiative by
the trade unions, which was rejected by the government. They
suggested the possibility of establishing a fund of EUR 198
million, through an extraordinary contribution of 0.1% of
pay for vocational training in 2003, paid equally by workers
and employers, plus an equivalent amount provided by the state.
This fund would be used to alleviate the effects of the disaster.
The Galician Union Confederation (CIG), however, considered
this initiative to be inappropriate. It considered that the
effort to help Galicia recover should not be borne equally
by workers and employers, because this would be a regressive
measure for the workers. It suggested that the principle of
a zero public budget deficit should be abandoned and that
a progressive tax policy should be established, with greater
investment in the area, the use of EU funds and the declaration
of Galicia as a disaster area.
The
measure taken by the Spanish government did not meet with
the approval of any of the trade unions, which are concerned
about use of the social security surplus from the budget of
the National Institute of Employment (Instituto Nacional de
Empleo, INEM) to set up the Galician recovery fund, instead
of using it for the purpose for which it was intended (social
protection and active employment policies). The extraordinary
credit for Galicia will thus, they claim, not provide complementary
aid but replace social policies. The unions consider that
the government's recent fiscal reform involving lower taxes,
which they claim may involve a reduction of EUR 4 billion
in state revenue, prevents investment in resources and infrastructures
to avoid this type of disaster. They also call for regulations
to impose harsh penalties on those responsible for the Prestige
disaster, and for the resignation of members of the government
due to "errors" in the management of the process and a lack
of resources provided to combat the pollution.
Behind
the calls for solidarity with the victims of this latest disaster,
and the demands for effective mechanisms that are implemented
and enforced to prevent future accidents, all well intended,
is the harsh reality: It is the fishermen who are cleaning
up the sea, and the workers who will pay for the effects of
the disaster. This is what the neo-liberal manifesto of Blair
and Schroder has been promoting, remember? This is what they
call "Integration", which is about abandoning the passive
model of the welfare state which creates a culture of dependence.
The people, according to them, must become social players,
helping to build a "social investment state" in which the
welfare state is replaced by the welfare society and everyone
once again plays an active part; and life is good. When all
is said and done, the neo-liberal model promoted by Blair
and Schroder is not any different from the one imposed by
Washington nor has it anything to do with social democracy,
unless we are willing to accept social democracy with a neo-liberal
face.
2003
February 1
Blanca
Garza is a freelance writer and political activist.
