SPAIN has called its first general strike in 14 years after major trade unions agreed to a nationwide walkout over the country’s escalating housing crisis.
The industrial action will take place on Wednesday, November 11, according to national daily El Pais.
It marks the first time since 2012 that Spain’s major class unions, including the CCOO and UGT, have thrown their full weight behind a general strike.
They are joining forces with housing protest groups and regional unions from the Basque Country and Galicia to demand urgent action on property access and skyrocketing rents.
The walkout is expected to bring widespread disruption to transport networks, schools, and public services across the country.
It comes at a highly sensitive time, landing just two and a half weeks before the general elections and a day before the official campaign period begins.
Business associations CEOE and Cepyme have blasted the move as ‘inadmissible’, arguing the housing crisis is not a workplace issue and that companies should not bear the cost of a political protest.
Right-wing political parties the Partido Popular (PP) and Vox have also fiercely criticised the planned walkouts.
But Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez defended the strike, stating that access to housing affects many workers and the government must respect the constitutional right to protest.
Spain’s last major general strike took place on November 14, 2012, in protest against deep public spending cuts during the Great Recession.
The November action will be the ninth general strike supported by Spain’s two largest unions since the country transitioned to democracy.
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