During demonstrations the Armed Police rounded up some strikers, among whom was the young apprentice Toxo, and began firing indiscriminately, injuring more than 40 people and killing two workers from Bazán: members of the CCOO, Amador Rey and Daniel Niebla.

[3] The union life of Toxo - who regularly attended the annual wreath-laying at the monument to those killed in Ferrol on 10 March - was deeply marked by this experience of his youth, as evidenced by his later statements about this episode.

After the merger, Toxo was elected General Secretary of the resulting organisation, the CCOO Federation of Metalworkers and Miners, a position he held until 2004 when he was replaced by Felipe López Alonso.

Under his direction the union employed a new strategy that entailed bringing Popular Legislative Initiatives before the Congress of Deputies on issues such as labor law, housing rights and taxation.

[14][15] In March 2017, at a meeting of the Confederla Council of the Union Toxo, he announced his intention of not running for reelection in the upcoming 11th Confederal Congress[16] to be held in June.