Thousands of people occupied the centre of Gijon in Asturias yesterday. Although it was not called a strike, about ten thousand people marched under the slogan "No more layoffs or shutdowns in Asturias ."

At the centre of the concerns for drawing up the platform was the issue of firms in difficulty and the march went onto the City Hall. Leading it were the workers of Gijon Tenneco.

For months, many workers in this northern region of Spain have been invited to attend meetings of the self-organised to defend their jobs and their rights.

Asturias are beginning to pursue a different kind of trade unionism . "We want the workers to take their decisions directly," said Isaac Perez of the Tenneco factory committee reading from a list of demands, adding that " no one can negotiate or sign anything on our behalf ."

From the Tenneco plant, located in the district of Upper Pumarín, a long column of protesters set off. Then a barricade of tyres blocked traffic on the main thoroughfare Sanz Crespo . Riot police protected the headquarters of the Partido Popular in Garaya Alvarez , however the protest passed without incident.

In the Plaza Mayor were the platform was read out by the members of by the various factory committees of various companies in crisis in Asturias : Coca Cola , Kitchens Asturiana , Benito Systems, Subcontracting Hunosa , Zebrano , Central Abattoir , Laundry Cabuenes , General Dynamics , Rubiera Predisa , Starglass , CajAstur but also the Assembly of the students. ...