Spain's first general strike since 2012 begins over wages, housing and prices
Spain's two biggest union confederations, CCOO and UGT, began a 24-hour nationwide general strike at midnight under the slogan "wages, housing, prices" — the first general strike the pair have called since 2012. Transport and public services are running government-set minimum services, marches are planned in the big cities, and the strike lands 18 days before the 29 November general election. Turnout and disruption levels are not yet established.
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Key points
- CCOO and UGT's 24-hour general strike began at midnight — their first since 2012 — under the slogan "wages, housing, prices".
- The unions say a wage no longer guarantees a decent life, and demand real pay rises and action on housing speculation.
- Trains, metros, buses and flights are running government-set minimum services, from 25% in Catalonia to 80% on Madrid's metro at peak.
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- The strike comes 18 days before the 29 November general election; turnout and disruption are not yet established.
What happened
The strike was called amid public anger over the cost of living — rising housing costs, stagnant wages and inflation — and follows Congress's rejection in October of housing measures the unions backed, including an eviction moratorium and automatic renewal of rental contracts. The employers' confederation CEOE says the demands are not essentially labour-related and is studying a legal challenge.
Spain's last general strike by the two confederations was in 2012. This one is centred primarily on housing and the cost of living rather than a single workplace dispute, and it lands in the middle of an election period: parliament's standing body votes on 12 November on re-issued housing decrees, and the official campaign opens on 13 November.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- The strike was called by CCOO and UGT for 11 November, began at midnight, and runs for 24 hours.
- The government has published the minimum services that transport operators must run.
- Marches are planned in Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Málaga and Bilbao.
What we don't know yet
- How many workers are striking and how disruption compares with the unions' and government's expectations.
- Whether any services fail to meet the minimum levels, as happened with the Renfe drivers' strike on 10 November.
- Any government or employer response made during the strike day itself.
Claim by claim
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Why this label: The call, the slogan, the 7 October announcement and the first-since-2012 point are consistent across the unions' joint statement reporting, Solace Global's alert and StrikeTracker's record of the strike.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The demands are the unions' own stated position in their joint statement, reported by Education International. They are carried as the unions' position, not as findings.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The minimum-service levels are the Transport Ministry's orders as recorded by StrikeTracker and Travel Extra, which give the same figures for flights to the Balearics, Canaries, Ceuta and Melilla (52–85%).
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The election timing and the surrounding rail strikes are stated by Solace Global; the march cities are in its alert and in Travel Extra's report.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The strike began at midnight and no union or government participation figures had been published in the reporting read. Any figures that appear will be labelled as their makers' claims.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
Why it matters
A general strike tests both the unions' reach and the government's housing and pay policies three weeks before Spaniards vote. Its real weight will be measured by participation and by the marches in the big cities — figures that will come first from the unions and the government, and will need to be read as their claims.
Background
Show the background timeline (4)
CCOO and UGT last called a joint general strike in Spain.
The two confederations announce the 11 November strike under the slogan "wages, housing, prices".
The US Embassy in Spain alerts citizens to expect more police presence and possible road closures during the strike.
The 24-hour strike begins; in shift-working companies it runs from the last shift starting before midnight.
Update history
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