ELA will broadcast from its website the XV Confederal Congress live via streaming. In addition, this website will carry out a detailed follow-up of the Congress.

The trade unions ELA, LAB, STEILAS, ESK, Etxalde, CGT and CNT have convened mobilisations for the 1st of December, using the slogan ‘For some decent pensions, working and living conditions. No to the labour and pension reforms. Sovereignty for a decent life.’

ELA complains that Sánchez’s Government, the EU, the CEOE employers association, UGT and CCOO continue taking steps against revaluation according to the CPI and to impose future cut backs with a new MEI. For this reason, they are calling for mobilisations on the 13th of November (pensioners) and on the 1st of December (trade union majority) to put pressure on the PNV, Bildu and Podemos in the Congress.

In Bilbao, Donostia, Irun and Gasteiz, ELA is demanding the repeal of the labour reform and for the Basque parties to use their votes in Madrid to defend social rights.

Today, in the presence of a group of journalists from different means of communication, ELA has certified the trade union’s real membership figures, in a unique exercise of transparency in Euskal Herria, as it has put the direct checking of the real membership data at the disposal of the guests, always with the corresponding personal data protection. Accordingly, it has been verified that ELA has 100, 925 members, which means an increase of almost 2,000 contributing members compared to the data collected at the 2017 Congress (at that point there were 98,960 members). This exercise is normally carried out in the weeks running up to the congress, which in this case will take place on the 24th and 25th of November in Bilbao.

Under the slogan 'Don’t sell us out in Madrid. No to the pension cutbacks. Repeal the labour reform,’ ELA will take to the streets en masse on the 24th of October in Bilbao, Donostia, Irun and Gasteiz, (11.30 am) to demand that the PNV, EH Bildu and Podemos rework the pension cutbacks and champion the repeal of the labour reform. The aim of the mobilisation is to increase the pressure against the steps that Sanchez’s Government wants to pass over the next few months: pension cutbacks and a new labour reform that intends to maintain the most harmful elements that were imposed by Zapatero (2010) and Rajoy (2012). For this reason, ELA is calling on the entire working class to demonstrate in these four capital cities.

ELA decided to sign the end of strike agreement at Tubacex and in this way, prevent the 129 redundancies that the company wanted to impose and additionally, the judicial channels in the Supreme Court are closed, therefore, this achievement has now been guaranteed. Over 70% of the members of ELA at Tubacex have ratified the signing of the agreement. Following the process agreed on at the time by the committee, this result has been pooled with the other trade unions, whose respective members, as a whole, have also approved the signing. In this way, the majority of the people taking part in the strike (which has lasted over 8 months) have ratified the agreement.

Today, ELA presented its 15th Confederal Congress, which will be held on the 24th and 25th of November at the Bilbao Euskalduna Jauregia under the slogan “Benetan garrantzitsuak diren gauzak; Aktibatu, Lortu, Zaindu” (“What is really important; Activate; Achieve; Care”.) The pandemic has clearly shown, more than ever, our society’s deficiencies and virtues. Crises show both the most positive and the most negative aspects of people and of societies. While we had still not overcome the 2008 crisis, the healthcare crisis caused by this pandemic has incurred serious economic, labour and social consequences for the working classes.