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Millions of Spanish workers strike over housing costs and wages ahead of the November 29 national election, with unions reporting high participation in key sectors.
By Hermes Vector
Millions of workers across Spain are striking on Wednesday in the country’s first general strike in 14 years, demanding government action on housing costs and wages less than three weeks before a national election.
The strike is called by Spain’s two main unions, UGT and CCOO, under the slogan “Salaries. Housing. Prices.” The unions reported widespread participation in the early hours “with significant work stoppages in strategic sectors” — 90% in the automotive and port sectors, 85% in the meat industry, 82% in waste collection, and 75% in the energy sector — according to a statement posted on social media.
The strike is expected to cause delays to the public transport system and lead to the slowdown or shuttering of businesses, factories and shops across the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy.
Minor incidents were reported in the first hours, including roadblocks — some of them with burning tires — in Barcelona, the second-largest city in the country, and scuffles between picketers and police near the country’s main wholesale market on the outskirts of Madrid. Striking workers set off fireworks on the stroke of midnight as they gathered in public squares in Barcelona.
The average rent in Spain has almost doubled in the last 10 years, eating into household budgets and angering voters. Public anger over housing reached a boiling point following the nationally televised eviction of an 87-year-old woman from her home in Madrid last month. The subsequent death of Maricarmen, as the woman became known, caused even more indignation and solidified her as a symbol of Spaniards who feel they pay too much on rent and can’t even dream of homeownership.
Housing activists leveraged the uproar over Maricarmen’s eviction to call for the general strike. They soon won the backing of Spain’s two main unions, UGT and CCOO.
The housing activists want several measures, including the elimination of tourist apartments, a crackdown on real estate speculation and protection for renters in the form of automatic renewals of leases. The UGT and CCOO unions are demanding more government intervention in the housing market and a new minimum wage agreement through talks with the business owners’ association.
The nationwide protests over the eviction of Maricarmen propelled Spain’s government to push through emergency measures to limit evictions and help tenants, but right-wing parties in the Parliament refused to ratify them on the grounds they would provoke a flight of properties from the rental market.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez responded by calling the election on October 5, hoping to earn four more years in power for his left-wing coalition. The election is set for November 29.
On Thursday, the government will again try to have a reduced interim Parliament ratify the two housing decrees that the full lower chamber rejected last month.
The traditional conservative Popular Party and the far-right Vox are against any government intervention in the housing market other than incentivizing construction of new homes. They also both argue that the unions are playing politics and trying to help Sánchez stay in office, with months of polling showing voters leaning toward the Right.
“This strike is not a general strike; it is an electoral strike,” Popular Party spokesperson Miguel Tellado said Tuesday. “It is not against the government in power, but rather against the government to be.”
Sánchez posted a long video on social media this week, in which he lauded the prior social policies like the 40-hour work week and national health insurance that were the fruit of the workers’ movement and the right to strike.
“It wasn’t easy, but they changed Spain,” Sánchez said, while warning that right-wing parties would bring austerity and underfunded social services.
Verónica Martínez, spokesperson for Sumar, the junior member of the government, separately said “the Left needs the workers of this country to mobilize. Rights are first won on the streets and then later in the institution.”
The strike puts the housing crisis at the centre of Spain’s upcoming election campaign. The Bank of Spain has said the country has a shortage of 750,000 homes, but this figure could rise to 1 million by next year. The outcome of the strike and the government’s attempt to ratify the housing decrees on Thursday could shape voter attitudes before the November 29 election.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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