(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Hundreds of thousands of Spanish citizens took to the streets in different cities nationwide Saturday to demand the government to take immediate measures to create jobs for more than five million unemployed.
Hundreds of buses loaded with jobless people arrived in Madrid to take part in the demonstration which went through the major streets of the capital. The demonstrators carried signs which condemned the government's austerity measures as well as what they considered as the cabinet's rescue of banks at the expense of citizens.
Today's demonstrations followed mass protests in Madrid and 79 other citiens last Thursday. The protests, called by the major labor unions, were against the government's austerity measures which aimed at cutting budget deficit and regain confidence of investors.
Prime minister Mariano Rajoy announced last week a bundle of tough austerity measures including the increase of valued added tax, cancelling holiday benefits of employees as well as extending working hours.
The measures aim at saving 65 billion euros in two and a half years, cutting the deficit to 6.3 percent of GDP by end of this year, 4.5 percent end of next year and three percent by 2014.
The Spanish government anticipated continued economic recession and that national economy would be shrinking by 0.5 percent in 2013 coupled with rising unemployment to over 24 percent.
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