Firefighters from the Mieres Fire Station in Asturias, Spain, decided on going all out in raising awareness of the severity of austerity cuts levied on the most basic of services in the nation. After the latest round of austerity cuts, firefighters along with other civil servants had their effective pay slashed by a full fifth, along with new sales taxes focused on middle-to-low income wage earners. The firefighters have had enough, and decided on showing their displeasure, by showing exactly how much the austerity will cut.
So, the firefighters stripped down to just their hats and boots, and sporting a sign which reads “With so many cuts we have been left naked” to make their point:
After the measures by France to address their debt issue without austerity, to see Spain stubbornly clinging to the failed concept is quite disturbing for the Eurozone. Perhaps this move will lay bare the problem and expose the politicians to some fresh ideas. It is not as if anyone is expecting them to perform the full monty here, but it couldn’t hurt.
