Spain to Vote on Labor Market Reforms  09/09 05:28

   MADRID (AP) -- Spain's Parliament is putting the finishing touches to 
reforms aimed at boosting a listless economy by shaking up a rigid job market 
and encouraging companies to hire.

   The plan was first approved as a decree in June and been amended by both 
chambers of Parliament since then. A definitive vote in the lower chamber is 
scheduled for Thursday.

   Unions call the reforms by a Socialist government blatantly pro-business. 
They have cited the changes as one of their reasons for calling a general 
strike on Sept. 29.

   Spain has a jobless rate of 20 percent, the highest in the euro zone. One 
key thrust of the reforms is to make employers less wary of hiring by making it 
cheaper and easier for them to lay people off.


(KA)