Spain general strike over housing hits transport

The Spain general strike on Wednesday, November 11, is the country's first nationwide walkout in 14 years, with millions of workers demanding action on housing costs less than three weeks before a snap election. Al Jazeera, citing AFP and AP, and the BBC reported that the 24-hour stoppage disrupted public transport and forced many businesses and factories to scale back or close.

The two biggest unions, UGT and CCOO, called the strike. They said participation was strong, while the main employers' group said turnout was low and uneven.

What happened during the Spain general strike

The walkout began at midnight. Minor incidents were reported in the first hours, including roadblocks with burning tyres in Barcelona and scuffles between pickets and police near Mercamadrid, the capital's main wholesale market.

The unions said stoppages were significant in strategic sectors, with about 90 percent participation in the automotive and port industries. The BBC reported that traffic was halted on several main roads in Madrid and Catalonia, and that Spain's interior ministry said dozens of people were arrested for various incidents. Large demonstrations were planned later in the day, with the biggest expected in Madrid and Barcelona.

The Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations said participation was low and uneven depending on the sector. Its vice-president, Miguel Garrido, criticised the strike and said businesses had little to do with the price of housing.

The housing crisis behind it

The protests were sparked in September by the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Madrid woman who had lived in her flat for seven decades and who died several days later. A five-week tent occupation of Madrid's Puerta del Sol followed, and similar camps appeared in other cities.

The numbers explain the anger:

• Average rents in Spain have almost doubled over the past 10 years, according to AFP and AP;
• renting a 50-square-metre flat in Madrid cost an average of 1,170 euros in October, per property portal Idealista;
• Spain's average gross monthly salary is about 2,460 euros, so that rent is nearly half of pay;
• for the average young person, the Youth Council of Spain puts the share at 98.7 percent of income.

Housing experts commonly recommend spending no more than 30 percent of income on housing.

A strike with election stakes

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called a snap election for November 29 after parliament failed to approve his housing package. Unusually, he and his ministers have supported the strike. The BBC noted that the last general strikes were in 2012, under a conservative government, and that this one differs because the government itself encouraged workers to take part.

The opposition is hostile. Conservative leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo, whose People's Party leads in the polls, called the strike a serious mistake and said it risked tying the unions to Mr Sanchez. His party and the far-right Vox argue the action is electoral. The BBC said a right-wing government is the most likely outcome of the vote.

Voters like 27-year-old Gonzalo Alvarez, who works in sales and volunteers with a tenants' union, told the BBC that he and his partner spend about half of their pay on rent and see buying a home as impossible.

Why it matters beyond Spain

Housing stress is not unique to Europe. Thai readers will recognise similar debates in our coverage of the condo market's challenges and of how tariffs hit Thai housing. Elsewhere, political fights over wealth and costs also feature in our report on the California billionaire tax.

Travellers heading to Spain should check transport updates, as disruption may continue in some regions. The election on November 29 will show whether housing anger turns into votes.

The original report was published by Al Jazeera.

Image: A housing rally in Madrid in February 2025, earlier protest activity behind the Spain general strike. Photo by Barcex via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.