Protests are expected across Spain later against government cost-cutting designed to tackle the country’s growing debts.
One in five Spanish workers is now unemployed with a series of austerity measures making it harder than ever to find work.
Mounting debts and a troubled property sector in Spain are seen as significant barriers to Europe’s financial recovery.
The protests were called after the government there moved to push through a plan to shave €15 billion off the budget with public sector cuts.
However public transport, mostly run by private companies, will go largely unaffected.
