The Valencian singer-songwriter Raimon sang in 1996, "How many resisted torture and have not endured adulation." In this sense, Nicolás resisted torture and exile and was, if possible, even more coherent before the sycophants and songs of power.
The loss of Nicolás Redondo leaves a deep void and sadness in the General Union of Workers and Workers, which was his home throughout his life and which he led, as Secretary General, between 1976 and 1994.
Firm anti-Franco, he suffered the wrath of the regime with numerous arrests, due to his political and union convictions, he was prosecuted and exiled, together with Ramón Rubial and Eduardo López Albizu in 1967. It was precisely when he started as a worker at La Naval, in Baracaldo, where he became fully class conscious as a trade unionist and against the regime, when he found that most of his co-workers were retaliated by Francoism and sentenced to forced labor. From that moment on, he became the union leader that he would be over the years, convinced of the fight for freedom, equality and the dignity of the workers. He was the promoter of the syndicalist struggle, from the left bank of the Nervión river, to all of Spain. In the midst of the dictatorship, he called the first general strike, in 1947, against the Franco regime.
Without his figure it is impossible to understand the democratic history of Spain, with a double dimension, the union defending the rights of the working class and politics, defending public liberties. Her firm opposition in 1976 and 1977 to the Moncloa Pacts as long as there was no restoration of democratic freedoms was key to the achievement of rights and freedoms in Spain. The general secretary of the UGT, then, refused to allow the social pact to maintain political status in the country, but not to reach specific agreements with the employers to stop burdening the consequences of the crisis on the workers: “The social pact is unfeasible in Spain for various reasons, and the General Union of Workers would never accept a pact by which the working class undertakes to maintain social peace during the time that the agreements between employers and workers are in force. , and resign, likewise, to request other claims”, he went on to say.
His first clash with the socialist governments, in full democracy, was to oppose Spain's entry into NATO, going so far as to ask the entire UGT affiliation by letter to vote against. Nicolás Redondo opted to maintain a syndicalist line consistent with the positions of the working class without making concessions to the Government and without being coerced by the discipline of the Socialist Party, convinced that working conditions could improve in Spain because the economy allowed it, once after the crisis of the 1980s, through social agreement and dialogue between social agents. He called the General Strike of 1988, against what he understood as an opportunity for the socialist government to favor the bosses, making dismissal cheaper and introducing temporary contracts and precariousness in the labor market, which especially harmed women and the most vulnerable. youths. His disagreement with the social and economic policy of Felipe González made him vote against the general state budget and resign his seat as deputy for Vizcaya in 1987. His coherent position in relation to unionism and politics make him the father of union autonomy, founding a stage of growth and improvement of the representativeness of unionism, presence and improvement of working conditions never seen so far.
Nicolás Redondo dedicated his life to the UGT and to fighting for the rights of the working class and the citizenry as a whole. Without it, the conditions and improvements in the quality of life of all, labor rights, working days, breaks, salaries, vacations, but neither in public liberties and democratic rights would be understood. Her contribution as a UG member went far beyond what can be summarized in a few lines and is undoubtedly essential for understanding our rights in general and particularly those of women, young people or minorities discriminated against in employment: people with disabilities, LGTBI or migrants. He tirelessly fought for a more sustainable, strong and careful labor market with the environment and occupational health. He was a convinced democrat, a tireless fighter, generous, brave, coherent and faithful to his ideas, capable of leading UGT to the highest union representation quotas in the Union's history and who knew how to step aside and make way when he considered it was time. He was, is and will be an example for all trade unionists, especially for the UGT family. Rest in peace.
