Posted on 05/18/2005 3:56:37 PM PDT by Dan from Michigan
MADRID (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of prostitutes working in Spain urgently need labor rights to prevent them from being exploited, one of Spain's most prominent union leaders said Wednesday.
"This is a strong, powerful sector, and one that is growing," said Jose Maria Fidalgo, general secretary of Workers' Commissions, one of Spain's two major national trade unions.
"In a civilized country, we cannot tolerate a non-regulated sector where hundreds of thousands of people, particularly women and immigrants, are being exploited," he told journalists ahead of a May 26 conference on rights for sex workers the union is organizing.
Carmen Bravo, the union's head of women's issues, said estimates of the number of prostitutes active in Spain ranged from 300,000 to 400,000. More than 90 percent are immigrants and the majority work in roadside brothels.
Police raids on this type of establishment frequently turn up large numbers of eastern European or African women being held in conditions of near slavery, having been brought into the country by traffickers.
"The sector is growing relentlessly," Bravo said.
Figures on how much the industry is worth are hard to come by, she added. "But we're talking about astronomical figures."
One study estimated a national newspaper was making 6 million euros ($7.7 million) a year from selling advertising space for sex services.
Next week's conference involves political parties, social and legal experts and sex workers themselves. The union hopes it will pave the way for legislation for the sector, which it says is the only way to protect workers.
That said - no opinion one way or other.
Well, fine, this is only fair. But the down side is that when you present yourself at the brothel you get, according to the fair union rules, the darling with the most SENIORITY. Bwaaahahahaha.
I assume the Prime Minister is on board with this as a matter of professional courtesy.
All Dan's x's live in Texas.
Isn't "Hookers Union" redundant?
May you, the reader, make of that what you will........:)
The union fat cats want to keep as much cash for the leftist politicians as possible so, rather than continue to pay the hookers, if they can make them union memebrs, the union bosses can do to the hookers what they always done to other union members for nothing.
I wish they were that far away!!!!
Spain under Zapatero is becoming a cesspool.
Of course, the key issue is do Spanish hookers really want to take the hit in status and self-esteem that would be associated with becoming union members? I think they've got enough self-respect, both personal and professional, to reject the stigma of a union label. After all, there are some depths to which not even a Spanish hooker will go, maybe not a French whore, but certainly a Spanish one.
Don't see why not. If a prostitute wanted to become a politician, wouldn't she be able to join a party?
wouldnt that make the union leaders the pimps?
aflcio/supahfly... :D
dont forget OSHA would have to approve the ...ahem "working" facilities!
oh there are miles of jokes to be made on this...to bad most are in bad taste. :)
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