Foreign media outlets such as Reuters and EFE reported that Spanish workers who were angry about the housing crisis gave up their jobs all at once on the 11th (local time) for the first time in 14 years.
Spain's two largest labor unions, the General Union of Workers (UGT) and the Council of Workers (CCOO), as well as labor groups and tenant associations, went on a general strike at midnight on this day, raising their voices in protest against soaring rents and housing purchase costs.
The union claimed that about 4 million out of 22 million workers in Spain participated, and that more than 80% of workers in Catalonia and Andalusia went on strike.
The labor union reported that the participation rate in the port and automobile industries exceeded 90%, halting operations at ports throughout Spain and the SEAT factory in Barcelona, while the meat industry, waste collection sector, and energy sector also showed high participation rates in the 70-80% range.
National railway company Renfe said 24% of high-speed and long-distance trains and 10.2% of commuter and medium-distance trains were canceled. 5.8% of flights were canceled and traffic in downtown Madrid decreased by 13%. Barcelona's subway and city buses stopped operating except during rush hours. According to power grid operator Red Electrica, power usage decreased by up to 15.5% between 10 and 11 a.m.
However, the Confederation of Spanish Enterprises (CEOE), a management group, claimed that most workplaces were operating normally, with a strike participation rate of 10% in Madrid and 5% in Castile-La Mancha.
Authorities arrested at least 52 people in connection with strikes and protests as of 5 p.m. that day. It was reported that there was tension in the morning, with police firing tear gas spray at 1,000 protesters gathered at Mercamadrid, a large wholesale market in Madrid, and arresting one protester.
In the evening, rallies were held everywhere to protest the housing shortage and high prices. Despite the inclement weather, with strong winds and heavy rain and a storm accompanied by severe weather warnings issued in most regions, authorities estimated 120,000 people gathered in Madrid alone.
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.
The day before, train drivers went on strike demanding increased investment in railway maintenance and safety, causing widespread disruption to railway operations across Spain.
The general strike that day was also seen as a yardstick for measuring the chances of victory for Prime Minister Sánchez, who decided to hold an early general election in response to public dissatisfaction with the housing crisis. Left-wing coalition government ministers publicly supported the strike and urged workers to respect their right to strike. On the other hand, economic groups and the far-right camp criticized the strike as politically motivated.
