Spanish workers, angry over housing crisis, go on general strike for the first time in 14 years

Large-scale action ahead of the general election... Protests against skyrocketing rents

(Brussels = Yonhap News) Correspondent Hyun Yun-kyung = Foreign media such as Reuters reported that Spanish workers who were angry about the housing shortage gave up their jobs all at once for the first time in 14 years on the 11th (local time).

Spain's two largest labor unions, UGT and CCOO, as well as labor groups and tenant associations, went on a general strike at midnight on this day and raised their voices in protest against soaring rents and housing purchase costs.

The participation rate in the port and automobile industries exceeds 90%, halting operations at ports throughout Spain and the SEAT factory in Barcelona, ​​while the meat industry, waste collection sector, and energy sector are also showing high participation rates in the 70-80% range.

At the start of the strike, Alicia Del Rio, spokeswoman for the Madrid Tenants' Union, declared, "We will continue the fight until we fundamentally change the housing policy model and make housing a place for people to live, not a means of making money for a few rental operators."

According to the Bank of Spain, Spain's housing shortage, which currently stands at about 750,000 units, is expected to exceed 1 million units by 2028.

As housing prices rise and the number of people who can afford to purchase decreases, the demand for rental housing is rapidly increasing, increasing the burden on the rental market. According to the Spanish Youth Council, the average rent in Spain is 1,176 euros per month, which is 98.7% of the average monthly salary of young people.

This general strike was held just over two weeks before the early general election to be held on the 29th. Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has been plunged into crisis by weeks of nationwide protests and sit-ins triggered by the forced eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid because she could not afford the rapidly rising rent, decided to hold a general election ahead of schedule after the government's emergency bill to curb forced evictions and ease rising rent pressure was rejected in the National Assembly.

Last week, there was a massive high-speed train accident that killed 69 people, and the center-left party he leads faces a serious defeat in the general election, which is just two weeks away.

On the 10th, a day before the workers' general strike, train drivers went on strike demanding increased investment in railway maintenance and safety, causing widespread disruption to railway operations throughout Spain.

Meanwhile, despite the inclement weather, with a weather warning issued across most of Spain due to a storm with strong winds and heavy rain, workers who went on a general strike are also planning a large-scale street march in the afternoon.

It was reported that there was tension this morning, with police firing tear gas spray at 1,000 protesters gathered at Mercamadrid, a large wholesale market in Madrid, and arresting one protester.