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The 24-hour general strike called by Spain’s two largest trade unions, the UGT and CCOO, began at midnight and produced significant work stoppages in key sectors while public transport services ran at sharply reduced levels in major cities including Madrid and Barcelona. Union figures show participation reached 90 percent in automotive plants and ports, 85 percent in the meat industry, 82 percent in waste collection and 75 percent in energy according to statements released on social media. Minor incidents broke out in the early hours with roadblocks using burning tires in Barcelona and scuffles between picketers and police near Madrid’s main wholesale market, where one person was arrested and others required medical attention. The interior ministry reported at least 40 arrests nationwide by mid-morning alongside hundreds of recorded incidents.
A Bank of Spain assessment found the country faces a housing deficit of about 750,000 homes that is expected to surpass one million by 2028, exacerbating pressures that have seen average rents nearly double over the past decade. In Madrid the typical monthly cost for a 50-square-metre apartment stood at €1,170 in October while the national average gross monthly salary is roughly €2,460, according to property portal Idealista. The immediate catalyst was the September eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from her long-time Madrid home, an event that drew national attention after her death days later and galvanised housing activists who secured union backing for the walkout.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, whose socialist government called the snap parliamentary elections for November 29 after failing to pass housing reform decrees, described the strike as a push for coordinated action rather than a partisan move in an interview with La Vanguardia. Opposition conservative leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the Popular Party labelled the action a serious mistake that could complicate recovery from recent rail disasters, while warning of potential far-right gains in the coming vote. The strike has become entwined with the election campaign even as unions insist their focus remains on structural problems such as real-estate speculation, short-term tourist rentals and inadequate tenant protections.
Transport operators implemented minimum-service requirements that still left commuters facing long delays, with Barcelona metro running at 25 percent capacity during peak periods before halting for much of the day and Madrid metro operating between 50 and 80 percent. Rail services on Renfe saw only 65 to 73 percent of medium- and long-distance trains running, while a handful of flights were cancelled at Madrid-Barajas, Palma and airports in the Canary Islands. Road access to industrial estates and ports was blocked in several regions, although many pickets had been cleared by afternoon as demonstrations planned for Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia went ahead under stormy weather warnings.
Electricity demand fell by approximately 7.5 to 10 percent in the strike’s opening hours compared with normal levels, a gauge that Red Eléctrica data showed was less pronounced than during the previous nationwide stoppage in 2012 when consumption dropped more than 15 percent. The Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations countered union claims by describing overall participation as low and uneven across sectors and territories. Smaller unions including CGT and regional groups in the Basque Country joined the action, broadening its reach while activists called for elimination of tourist apartments and automatic lease renewals to ease the burden on households.
Housing activists leveraged the case of Maricarmen Abascal to highlight how rising costs have pushed renting to consume nearly all of many young workers’ salaries, with the Youth Council of Spain noting that average rental prices equate to almost 99 percent of a typical young person’s monthly earnings. The walkout follows months of protests and encampments that underscored tensions in a market where properties are increasingly treated as speculative assets rather than homes. Further demonstrations and sector-specific strikes are scheduled in the run-up to the November 29 ballot as political parties position themselves on the housing file.
