Spain Faces 24-Hour General Strike Over Housing Crisis
Unions said 4 million workers joined the stoppage, pressing for rent controls, more public housing and limits on evictions and tourist rentals.
- On Wednesday, November 11, 2026, millions of Spanish workers participated in a 24-hour general strike, paralyzing transport and industry to demand government action on the nation's severe housing affordability crisis.
- Nationwide outrage over the September eviction and death of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal fueled the walkout, as soaring rents and a structural deficit of 750,000 homes leave many citizens unable to afford housing.
- Major unions UGT and CCOO reported 90% participation in automotive and port sectors, though police pepper-sprayed protesters at Madrid's Mercamadrid wholesale market, leaving at least 13 people seeking medical attention.
- Opposition parties dismissed the protest as a political maneuver ahead of the November 29 snap election, with Popular Party spokesperson Miguel Tellado calling it an "election strike" rather than a labor action.
- With the snap election approaching, the strike underscores intense political polarization over housing, as Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez faces trailing polls and a potential challenge from a far-right coalition.
602 Articles
602 Articles
Millions of Spaniards strike to protest housing crisis
Four million Spanish workers took part in a general strike on Wednesday, unions said, enduring stormy weather to set up picket lines in a protest against the country's housing affordability crisis, less than three weeks before a snap general election. It is the first general strike since workers downed tools in 2012 against austerity measures during the euro zone debt crisis. The walkout is backed by Spain's two largest unions, UGT and CCOO, rep…
Groups of young people have targeted showcases and urban furnishings after the procession for the house
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Tens of thousands of people also marched in Barcelona on Wednesday. Trade unions hail a "massive" mobilization, bosses speak of "failure".
Millions of people in Spain went on strike due to the housing crisisThe first general strike in 14 years paralyzed Spain due to rising housing prices. The action took place on the eve of the 29 elections November.
Tens of thousands of people marched in Madrid and Barcelona on a day of historic general strike. Three weeks before the legislative elections, the social crisis is at the heart of the political debate.
The movement, supported by the left-wing government, gathered tens of thousands of people on Wednesday, November 11, and provoked the anger of the right-wing, who denounce pressure to deprive them of a victory in the legislative elections on November 29.
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