Since the crisis began in 2008, Spanish unions have received a measly 1.25 billion euros in subsidies from the national government.
This amount is heinously excessive when viewed against the numerous tax increases that companies and workers have endured during the same time period, especially when there is little information about how this tax money is being spent.
Officials are starting to put an end to this uncontrolled spending. Union spending has been cut by 44% since 2011. A Transparency Law that is making rounds Congress right now will require unions to submit their accounts for auditing and, among other requirements, will ask them to provide details about the number of union members and all job-training activities. Union dues should become what they once were: the main way that unions get their funding. This would ease the public tax burden.
