The life of some marine retirees is still almost as hard as the years they spent in the sea. About 80 exmarineros gallegos, who served the merchant fleet in norway between 1948 and 1994, have expressed this Wednesday in Madrid to claim, once more, that the nordic country to pay them their pensions. Are approximately 12,000 people in Spain, who claim the Government of Pedro Sánchez to defend them.
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12.000 sailors against Norway Exmarineros Spanish claim to the Norwegian pension that is not claimed by The spaniards in the Norwegian platforms the homeless to the multinational
“Seven months in the sea, one with the family and back to the sea. That was the life, and now that you might enjoy…” says Manuel Gonzalez, 75 years old, while holding a banner in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to claim their retirement. It was five degrees celsius in Madrid and the sky is covered. He and the rest of protesters —exmarineros, widows and children— have traveled all night from Galicia to shout their claims. “Spain I know decent and defend your people” and “we don’t want compassion but a quick solution” are some of the slogans they have chanted this morning.
Gonzalez, who left his home at 18 to pursue life, sailed almost two decades in Norwegian ships. “We lost 40% of the salary,” he says. Your case is similar to that of 12,000 Spanish sailors who worked for Norway until 1994, when the scandinavian country signed the treaty of the European Economic area and took over the community provisions on Social Security. “After all, above, we have to be here”, he says angry. “We’re not in age. If you help us, we finish faster”, challenges the Government.
“To see if we retrieve it before you die, to me, as there is little for me”, says the widow of a exmarinero
Take 105 demonstrations in four years, according to its spokesman, Alberto Paz, and in February expect a court in Oslo has decided on their case: “we do Not think of winning any trial in Norway, we have already had two and we lost. In the house of the enemy, nothing we are going to look. We have the hopes placed in the Court of Human Rights [ECHR] in Strasbourg”. The Spanish Government has insured, as stated in a reply in parliament, that the Executive “shall be brought before the ECTHR as a third party intervener, in support of the fair pretenses of the Spanish sailors”. Until then, the Administration, had only received “promises unfulfilled,” he says.
“With the PP, nothing. To see if they help us now,” says Carmen Juncal, 64 years of age, and at his side, Josefa Perez, 74, agrees. Warm up your nostrils, accompanying “manifestation after manifestation.” Now, in front of Congress, make the second stop of the day to shout: “Dead in the sea, widows without charge”. Their husbands, exmarineros, have already died, and they continue their fight. “Spent 48 hours working without bed, left their families to navigate,” says Perez, who shows hopeless: “To see if we retrieve it before you die, to me, as there is little for me”.
“Comrades, bells and whistles, please”, encourages the one who carries the speaker, who is the president of the association that brings together, Long Hope. Come to the embassy of Norway, the last stop. Carlos Otero has assisted in representation of his father, who worked for ten years in a boat with a Norwegian flag, and has not charged a penny. On the other hand, receive pensions for having sailed to Swedish ships, Dutch and German. “Norway considers that, as [the exmarineros] had no residence, then they had no right,” explains Otero. “But the norwegians who sailed with them, yes they had. This is discrimination”, he continues and moves to hold one of the banners. “Oh, norway, scavenger, your greed without limits has been our injustice!”, they scream 80’s before returning to Galicia.
