by: Raphael Minder and Eric Pfanner | The New York Times

MADRID — El País established itself as the leading newspaper in Spain in the late 1970s, serving as a front-line witness to the period in which Spain returned to democracy after the death of the dictator Francisco Franco. Now the newspaper is going through turbulent times of its own.

The news staff held a two-hour work stoppage on Tuesday, with labor leaders warning of more prolonged strike action, after management announced plans to cut a third of the staff to offset falling revenue.