ELA, LAB and Steilas have called a demonstration for 9 May in Bilbao for "the right to live and work in Basque"

ELA, LAB and Steilas have called a demonstration for 9 May in Bilbao under the slogan "For the right to live and work in Basque!" to call for the Basque Country to be "fully official" and to equate the demand for Basque and Spanish in public employment, "devoting time and resources to workers who do not know Basque".

At a press conference at the headquarters of ELA in Bilbao, Peio Igeregi of ELA, Haizea Arbide of Steilas and Oihana Lopetegi of LAB have reported on the steps they will take "in the face of the judicial, political and trade union offensive against the right to work and live in Basque".

Haizea Arbide has stated that "in a context wherethe attack on the fundamental rights of the Basquesis under way , it is absolutely necessary to demand an organized response ". According to him, the Euskera needs "absolute officiality" and that is why ELA, LAB and Steilas have called on all workers, including Euskaltzales, to mobilize, "claiming the exercise of the right to live and work in Euskera".

For his part, Peio Igeregi has denounced that "some trade union, political and media agents are creating organized pressure to hinder the revitalization of the Basque Country ", so an" organized response "is needed.

He has stressed that the request of ELA, LAB and Steilas "is very simple: toexercise the right to live and work in Basque   and to take steps to do so ".

The said unions claim "the right to work in Basque against other actors who are preventing the administration from becoming Euskaldunized and trying to impose the supremacy of Spanish." "Those who have launched this offensive are trying to criminalize Basque organizations and individuals," they denounce,  and that this "criminalization" has a "clear political objective: to agree on a bill that is acceptable to the PSE-EE."

In this regard, they warn that "if care cannot be guaranteed in Basque or the right to work in Basque in public services cannot be exercised", it will be difficult, "not to say impossible, to take significant steps towards Euskaldunization in any other area ".
   
Therefore, for ELA, LAB and Steilas, "it is essential that the debate on the Public Employment Act be based on a proposal for a law that equates the requirement of both languages "and has called on the political parties to" advocate this equalization and reject any regulation that would leave the Basque language as a dependent language ".

On the other hand, Oihana Lopetegi has denounced that "the exclusion of Basque agents is reflected in the fact that the Basque Government has expelled ELA and LAB from the Socio-economic Area group of the Advisory Council of the Basque Country, two trade unions that have called for courageous measures and means to Euskaldunize the world of work".

Lopetegi has specified that the purpose of the demonstration on 9 May is "to adopt rules and measures forthe Euskaldunization of the world of work ". In his view, the amendment of the Public Employment Act must be based on three principles:" To equate the demand of the Basque Country and Spanish, to define the deadlines and objectives for this equalization, and to provide opportunities, time and resources for Euskaldunization for all public workers who do not know Basque during this period ".

Finally, the leaders of ELA, LAB and Steilas have called on workers and Euskaltzales to come to Bilbao on 9 May "as a first step", and on 13 June  to join thecall made in Pamplona by the Council of Basque Culture.