Spain held its first general strike in 14 years on Wednesday, with housing at its core. Tenants' associations called the nationwide 24-hour stoppage, and workers' unions later backed it, the Guardian reported. The Confederation of Tenants' Association called the strike a success. It said about 4 million people had taken part by midday.
Unions reported 90% participation in the automotive and port sectors and 82% in waste collection, according to the Guardian. They said support was uneven across the country. It was strongest in coastal regions such as Catalonia and Andalucía. In Barcelona, workers set up roadblocks, some with burning tyres, and public transport came close to a standstill. The AP-7 motorway was blocked in both directions. In Madrid, pickets and police scuffled near the main wholesale market. Government officials said more than 40 people were arrested over minor incidents.
The numbers behind the anger are stark. Renting a one-bedroom flat in central Madrid costs about three-quarters of the average salary, Semafor reported. Spain's youth council says a young person would need 98.7% of their monthly salary to rent alone, Al Jazeera reported. According to the Guardian, rents have risen 80% in a decade and home prices 63%. The Bank of Spain says 750,000 new homes are needed, but only 92,000 were built in 2025.
Protesters told Al Jazeera that housing now eats up most of a worker's wages. "It's just too expensive, so I'm living with my parents," said Arturo, who is in his mid-30s. Unai Sordo, head of the Workers' Commissions, Spain's biggest union, told Cadena Ser that housing costs had climbed by as much as 12% a year. He said no amount of collective bargaining could cover that.
The trigger came in September. Maricarmen Abascal, 87, was evicted from the home she had lived in for about seven decades. Al Jazeera reported that she could not afford a fivefold increase in her monthly rent of 500 euros. Protests and encampments followed across the country.
The strike also carries political weight. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called a snap election for November 29 after his minority government failed to pass emergency housing legislation. Polls point to a right-wing coalition between the People's Party and the far-right Vox, the Guardian reported. Sánchez praised the labour movement this week. Of past strikers, he said: "It wasn't easy, but they changed Spain." Right-wing parties dismissed the strike as a union effort to keep him in office. Madrid regional leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso accused strikers of "holding citizens hostage".