Eight firemen posed in the nude in a Spanish town on Thursday to protest against sweeping new government austerity measures that include public sector wage cuts and tax increases.

The firefighters emerged one by one from their fire station in the northern town of Mieres near Oviedo wearing just their black helmets and boots and lined up side by side against a wall with their backs to the assembled press.

"With so many cuts we have been left naked," declared a banner on the wall above them.

"Eight firefighters who show their ass are worth more than a protest through the streets against the cuts," said Javier Piedra, 41, one of the 16 members of the Mieres fire brigade.

Spain's two main labour unions, the UGT and the CCOO, have planned demonstrations by public sector workers in 80 cities and towns later Thursday against the austerity measures.

Numerous firefighters and police officers have turned out at smaller protests which have taken place daily since the government announced the latest measures on July 11.

Among the new steps is the cutting of the Christmas bonus paid to civil servants, equivalent to a seven-percent reduction in annual pay, and a rise in sales tax that is likely to hit consumers.

The loss of the bonus comes on top of another pay cut of an average of five percent in 2010, which was followed by a salary freeze.

"We are protesting because they are reducing our salary and now they are getting rid of the Christmas bonus."

Firefighters in Mieres earn an average of 1,500-1,550 euros ($1,840-1,900) a month, said Piedra.

"Without taking into account the end of the Christmas bonus, our salary has declined by around 200 euros since the first cuts came into force in June 2010," he said.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government aims to save 65 billion euros with its latest austerity measures in order to lower Spain's public deficit.

上周四，八位西班牙消防员在西班牙一小镇裸体抗议新政府的全面财政紧缩措施，其中包括公共部门减薪和增加税收。

消防员们从他们位于米耶雷斯镇的消防站中鱼贯而出，浑身均只着黑色头盔和皮靴，挨个排队靠墙站好，屁股对着在此聚集的媒体。米耶雷斯镇是西班牙北部小镇，位于奥维耶多附近。

“如此削减，我们被减光了。”他们上方的一块横幅写道。

现年41岁的哈维尔?皮德拉是米耶雷斯镇消防队16名消防员中的一位，他说：“八位消防员展示他们的屁股可比游街示威抗议削减劲爆得多。”

西班牙的两大工会组织UGT和CCOO已经计划组织80个城镇公共部门的职工在周四晚些时候举行示威游行，抗议财政紧缩措施。

自从新政府7月11日颁布最新政策措施以来，很多消防员和警察都出现在每天都在发生的众多小型抗议活动中。

其中一项新措施要求削减公务员(微博)的圣诞节奖金，这等于削减了其年收入的7%，除此之外消费者们可能还会遭遇营业税上涨。

早在2010年人们的平均工资就已经被削减了5%，随之而来的便是工资冻结，现在又要失去圣诞节奖金。

“我们要抗议，因为他们已经在减少我们的工资，现在又想砍掉圣诞奖金。”

皮德拉说，米耶雷斯镇消防员的平均月薪是1500欧元到1550欧元（合1840美元到1900美元）。

他说：“就算不考虑圣诞节奖金缩水，我们的薪水从2010年6月首次减薪以来也已经减少了200欧元。”

马里亚诺?拉霍伊首相领导的保守党政府意图通过其最新的财政紧缩措施节省650亿欧元，以降低西班牙的公共赤字。