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# Spain Holds General Strike Over Housing Costs and Wages
- URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/spain-holds-general-strike-over-housing-costs-and-wages/
- Published: 2026-11-11T14:30:42.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-11T14:30:42.000Z
- Description: Workers across Spain held a nationwide strike over housing costs and wages ahead of the Nov. 29 election. Minimum-service rules kept some trains running, and unions reported strong turnout in some sectors.
- Author: News Desk
- Tags: World

Workers across Spain began a 24-hour general strike Wednesday, Nov. 11, over rising housing costs and demands for higher wages. The walkout, backed by Spain’s two largest trade unions and tenants’ organizations, is the first national general strike called by both unions since 2012\. It comes less than three weeks before voters elect a new parliament.

Demonstrators blocked part of Madrid’s Gran Vía and marched in Barcelona, the [Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/spain-strike-housing-elections-pedro-sanchez-68a061a72d7cdf842b7803a816e46ef0?ref=theamericanquorum.com) reported. [Reuters](https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/workers-across-spain-stage-first-general-strike-14-years-anger-over-housing-2026-11-11/?ref=theamericanquorum.com) observed shuttered shops in both cities. Unions reported strong early participation in some industries, but turnout varied, and their estimates did not establish how many people stopped work nationwide.

## Rent and wages bring unions and tenants together

The strike began at midnight and was scheduled to last through the end of Wednesday, [Europa Press](https://www.europapress.es/economia/laboral-00346/noticia-arranca-huelga-general-vivienda-salarios-primera-presidencia-pedro-sanchez-20261111000049.html?ref=theamericanquorum.com) reported. For workplaces with multiple shifts, the stoppage could begin with the first affected shift and end when the last one finished. The call covered workers across sectors. Some unions, including CSIF, USO and Fetico, did not join.

The General Union of Workers, known as [UGT](https://www.ugt.es/ugt-da-comienzo-la-huelga-general-del-11n-con-la-vivienda-y-los-salarios-dignos-como-principales?ref=theamericanquorum.com), identified housing as the main reason for the strike. Its secretary general, Pepe Álvarez, argued that rising housing costs were absorbing wage gains. The other major federation, [CCOO](https://huelga.ccoo.es/?ref=theamericanquorum.com), framed the protest around the combined burden of rent, mortgage payments and the savings needed for a down payment. The coalition includes tenants’ groups seeking stronger lease protections and tighter limits on tourist rentals, while unions also want a new minimum wage agreement.

The organizers drew support after the widely publicized eviction of 87-year-old Madrid resident Maricarmen Abascal, whose subsequent death intensified the outcry. Her case became a rallying point for tenant groups, according to the AP. The strike brought their demands into workplaces, where unions could press employers and the government on pay as well as housing.

## Trains and electricity operated under minimum-service rules

Spain’s transport ministry set service floors for the strike. Rail operator [Renfe](https://grupo.renfe.com/es/es/sala-de-prensa/noticias/2026/11/establecidos-los-servicios-minimos-para-la-huelga-general-convocada-el-11n?ref=theamericanquorum.com) said commuter trains were to run at 75 percent of normal service during designated peak periods and at 50 percent at other times. The minimum was 73 percent of usual service for high-speed and long-distance trains and an average of 65 percent for medium-distance trains. The published percentages were service requirements; they did not show how many trains actually ran or whether individual routes were delayed.

A separate [government order](https://www.boe.es/diario%5Fboe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-23371&ref=theamericanquorum.com) required electricity companies to maintain staffing necessary to keep power flowing and facilities operating safely. That protection did not mean the wider economy operated normally. Unions cited stoppages in ports and auto manufacturing, and Reuters reported that they pointed to lower electricity demand as a sign of disruption in industrial activity. Power use alone cannot show how many workers participated.

Spain’s main employers’ association, CEOE, disputed the case for the walkout. Vice President Ángela de Miguel told Spanish public television that the housing shortage was also making it harder for small businesses to recruit and argued for more construction and lower taxes on building and home purchases, Reuters reported. The dispute is over which measures would help, as well as whether a strike is an effective way to secure them.

## Home prices were still rising at a double-digit rate

Spain’s national statistics institute reported that its [housing index](https://ine.es/dyngs/Prensa/en/IPV2T26.htm?ref=theamericanquorum.com) rose 12.2 percent in the second quarter of 2026 from a year earlier. That was 0.7 percentage points below the first quarter’s annual rate: prices were still climbing rapidly, though the pace had slowed. The index tracks the prices of homes bought by households, adjusting for differences in the mix and quality of properties sold. Resale prices were up 12.9 percent from a year earlier. Neither figure measures what tenants pay in rent, or how much a household would have to set aside to afford a particular home.

In its latest annual report, Spain’s [central bank](https://www.bde.es/f/webbe/SES/Secciones/Publicaciones/PublicacionesAnuales/InformesAnuales/25/InfAnual%5F2025.pdf?ref=theamericanquorum.com) identified limited growth in housing supply and difficulty accessing homes as central problems. It described pressures on both buyers and renters and cautioned that the burden varies across places and households. That distinction matters for the policy debate. Adding homes can address the supply shortage over time, while changes to lease renewals or eviction rules would affect people already renting.

## The housing dispute moves back to parliament

The government’s [election decree](https://www.boe.es/diario%5Fboe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-20742&ref=theamericanquorum.com) set Nov. 29 for votes for both chambers. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government had already lost a parliamentary vote on emergency housing measures, then approved another package in October, [Reuters reported](https://theprint.in/world/spain-approves-housing-decrees-that-triggered-snap-election/3063453/?ref=theamericanquorum.com). The AP reported that the government would seek ratification Thursday from the standing parliamentary body that remains in place between dissolution and the election.

Supporters of the measures argue that tenants need protection before additional housing can be built. Opponents have argued that tighter rules could cause some owners to pull properties from the rental market. Wednesday’s strike gives those arguments more visibility ahead of the election. The parliamentary decision is the next concrete test of whether the government can keep the measures in place.