Word: bilbao
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Jenaro Riestra. the civil governor of the Spanish port of Bilbao, was summoned to Madrid last week, there got orders to settle the strike that had cut back production at the Euskalduna works, one of his city's biggest steel plants (TIME, Dec.14). Though newspapers printed no word of the strike and mail from Bilbao was interrupted, the news of Bilbao's woe was spreading by word of mouth. Madrid wanted a settlement, quickly and in silence, before other Spanish workers decided to join...
Christian Mission. Worst hit of all were the drab industrial towns of northern Spain, where factory shutdowns meant less daily bread for the workers. In Bilbao (pop. 230,000), factories and steel plants were rationed to 15 hours of power a week; unemployment soared, wages fell below subsistence. To alleviate the misery and to encourage the workers, Bilbao's energetic young Bishop Casimiro Morcillo González set up a mission whose motto was "Towards a Better Life." All week long, 300 priests used 2,000 loudspeakers to urge "Christian solidarity" for the workers, "social justice" from the employers...
Then came new work cuts. The men sent a deputation to talk things over with Elisardo Bilbao, the tough, despotic manager of the Euskalduna steel plant. Don Elisardo drove them off with this fierce warning: "Men, you make one move and I'll have you all in jail. Now go and complain to your priests...
This week Dictator Franco's sindicatos, state-appointed bosses of the state-run "trade unions," were converging on Bilbao to halt the spreading unrest. "These poor fellows are not to blame," said one of the bosses. "There are some very delicate angles. The French say cherchez la femme. Here in Spain we might say cherchez...
...Spain's state-controlled press, no word was printed about the Bilbao strike...