Thousands of Healthcare Workers, Taxi Drivers, Teachers Striking in Barcelona, Spain

MADRID (Sputnik) - Several mass strikes are taking place in Barcelona on Wednesday, with thousands of taxi drivers blocking the city center and healthcare workers and teachers rallying to protest poor working conditions, a Sputnik correspondent reported.

Healthcare workers are staging protests near the buildings of the Catalan parliament and the regional healthcare department demanding a pay rise, the expansion of staff numbers, a reduction of their workload and support for younger workers, with further strikes expected to take place next week.

"Many of us are considering moving to Germany or Switzerland where working conditions are far better. In the end, the migration of younger workers can lead to a disaster for Spain's entire healthcare system," a doctor from Barcelona told the correspondent.

At the same time, over 1,000 taxi drivers have blocked the Gran Via street in the center of Barcelona to protest against the current system of license issuance and demand that the government conduct legislative reforms concerning taxi transport.

Thousands of teachers have also taken to the streets of Barcelona urging the authorities to invest more money in education.

According to El Pais newspaper, some 10,000 healthcare workers, 5,600 teachers and almost 2,000 taxi drivers have joined the protests in Spain's second largest city.