The pardon to six Asturian women, sentenced to prison, that has united trade unionism

MadridIt is one of the cases that has left one of the most united images of unionism: the imprisonment last summer of six CNT unionists from Gijón known as Les Sis de La Suiza; and which this Tuesday writes a new chapter with the approval of the pardon by the Spanish government.

The judicial decision of July last year came almost a decade after the labor dispute broke out and managed – still today – to unite the different union organizations against a sentence that has been read as a "criminalization" of the union struggle, especially if one takes into account the judge who investigated the case: Lino Rubio Mayo, head of criminal court number 1 in Gijón, known for his harsh sentences against conscientious objectors and unionists. Rubio Mayo is, in fact, the same magistrate who sent unionists Cándido and Morala, who inspired the film Los lunes al sol, to prison for 20 days for having broken a traffic camera during a protest at the shipyard of the Asturian city. 

For this reason, all unions, but also social organizations, left-wing parties and the Asturian government itself, have pressured all this time for Pedro Sánchez's government to approve the measure of grace. In fact, the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz, committed to this before the six condemned individuals – five women and one man – to three and a half years in prison for a continuous crime of serious coercion and another against the administration of justice, and whom she met with once their imprisonment was ordered.

Although it has taken its time, this Tuesday the six affected Asturian unionists see the Spanish government approve their pardon, which will take effect once it is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE). The Ministry of Labor justifies the decision because the conduct for which the unionists were convicted occurred in a labor context, in the exercise of union freedom and without the intention of committing crimes. "The Ministry of Labor and Social Economy has defended at all times the legitimacy of union action, as well as the right to strike, mobilization and organization of workers in a democratic state like Spain," indicated this Monday from the department headed by Yolanda Díaz.

The case of Les Sis de La Suiza dates back to 2016. The six convicted trade unionists participated in protests in front of a bakery in Gijón, La Suiza, after supporting a former employee who had reported workplace and sexual harassment by the employer. These demonstrations, according to the Supreme Court – which confirmed the sentence –, constituted "boycott and pressure" against the owner, who ended up closing the bakery. "The sentence is unjust and disproportionate. It is based on a completely false and orchestrated account," denounced two of the convicted women in 2022 in an interview with El Salto.