General strike in Spain, 21 injured and one arrested in clashes in Madrid
First summary of the incidents during the start of the 24-hour general strike in Spain for wages, affordable rents and high costs of living
Quick Look
At least 21 protesters injured and one arrested in Madrid during the start of the 24-hour national strike proclaimed by the unions to demand adequate wages, affordable rents and measures against the high cost of living.
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Why It Matters
First general strike since 2012 in Spain, called by the unions 18 days before the early elections of 29 November.
At least 21 protesters injured and one arrested: this is the first toll of the incidents that occurred during the night and early hours of the morning in Madrid, during the start of the 24-hour national strike starting at midnight.
The clashes occurred in front of the bus depots of the Empresa Municipal de Transportes (Emt), in the neighborhoods of Carabanchel and Fuencarral.
At the general markets of Mercamadrid, where around a thousand people gathered, the union denounced police charges and the use of pepper spray. Thirteen people were rescued and one person arrested, according to police sources cited by the Efe agency. In Carabanchel, eight other picket participants were slightly injured and treated at the 12 de Ocubre hospital. In Fuencarral, four more injured.
Union protests and road blocks were also reported in Catalonia, Andalusia, Galicia and Extremadura. In Catalonia, groups of strikers blocked around twenty points of the road network, especially access to Barcelona.
The 24-hour general strike was called by the tenants' unions and the Comisiones Obreras (CcOo) and Union General de Trabjadores (Ugt) unions together with other unions, to demand more adequate wages, the right to a house with affordable rents and measures against the high cost of living. The mobilization, the first since 2012 and in the eight years of progressive government led by Pedro Sanchez, comes 18 days before the early elections on November 29.
The protest, according to the first provisional data, registers a high but not homogeneous participation: 90% in the automotive industry and in the ports of Valencia and Algeciras, 85% in the meat industry and 82% in waste collection.
In social and health services, participation is estimated at 38%, while in the postal sector it stands at around 35%. In the transport sector, minimum services are covered at 80% and there is a provisional membership of 50%, according to the unions.
The main industrial center of Cadiz, in Andalusia, is at a standstill at 80%.
Open Questions
- What will be the definitive developments of joining the strike?
- Will there be further clashes in other Spanish regions?
