ABSTRACT
The PSOE's economic and social policies provide the context in which the unions devised their goals and strategies during the González governments. The years from 1982 to 1996 can be divided into two distinct periods that are differentiated by contrasting union strategies in response to governmental policies. Between 1982 and 1986, the government directed its efforts at streamlining the economy, resulting in macroeconomic adjustment and industrial restructuring. Despite occasional friction, the relationship between the PSOE government and the UGT was generally cooperative, and the UGT lent overall support to the government's program. CC.OO., in contrast, was more critical of governmental policies even in these early years of Socialist rule and called a general strike against the pension reform in 1985, reflecting the continued competition between the unions. The second phase began when economic indicators improved, while the relationship between the Socialist Party and the UGT took an unexpected turn as the gap between the unions’ and the government's policy preferences widened. Concurrently, attempts to negotiate new social pacts failed while the two major unions developed a more cooperative relationship and initiated the “unity of action,” that is joint platforms and activities, culminating in the first jointly called national strike against the government in December 1988.
