Millions of people across Spain have joined the country’s first general strike in 14 years, protesting against soaring housing costs and demanding stronger government intervention to address an increasingly severe housing crisis.
The nationwide action, backed by the country’s largest labour unions and tenants’ associations, has disrupted transport, education, ports and other sectors, with demonstrations and picket lines established across several cities.
Workers’ unions reported participation rates of 90 per cent in the automotive and port sectors and 82 per cent in waste collection. However, they said that turnout varied across the country, with particularly strong support in coastal regions such as Catalonia and Andalusia, where housing costs have risen sharply.
Many schools and universities were closed or operating with reduced capacity, while public transport services were severely disrupted in several areas.
In Barcelona, protesters established roadblocks, some involving burning tyres, as public transport came close to a standstill. In Madrid, demonstrators dragged large recycling bins into the streets to block traffic, while confrontations between picketers and police were reported near the capital’s main wholesale market.
Government officials said 27 people had been arrested by midday on Wednesday in connection with minor incidents across the country.
The strike, organised under the slogan “Salaries. Housing. Prices,” reflects growing frustration over the cost of living, particularly the difficulty of securing affordable accommodation.
Housing Crisis Fuels Nationwide Anger
The demonstrations follow months of growing public discontent over rising rents, property prices and the increasing use of residential buildings for tourist accommodation and short-term rentals.
The crisis gained national attention in September following the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from the home where she had lived for more than seven decades.
Her case became a focal point for housing campaigners, as protests and encampments emerged in different parts of Spain to highlight the difficulties facing tenants and vulnerable residents.
Campaigners argue that the growing use of properties as tourist lets, speculative investments and short-term rentals has reduced the availability of long-term housing and contributed to rising costs.
Figures cited in the housing debate indicate that rents have increased by approximately 80 per cent over the past decade, while house prices have risen by 63 per cent over the same period.
Ahead of the general strike, the tenants’ union in Granada sought to draw attention to the role of short-term rentals in the crisis by targeting lockboxes used to provide visitors with access to holiday accommodation.
The organisation said it had vandalised approximately 300 lockboxes in some of the city’s most heavily visited areas, sharing images of the damaged devices on social media.
The action reflects growing opposition among housing campaigners to the expansion of tourist accommodation in areas where residents are struggling to find affordable homes.
Unions Demand Stronger Government Intervention
Labour unions and tenants’ associations have called on the government to introduce measures aimed at making housing more accessible and protecting people facing eviction.
Their demands include restrictions on evictions involving vulnerable residents, rent freezes and stronger action against short-term rental properties.
Unai Sordo, Head of the Workers’ Commissions, one of Spain’s largest labour unions, said, “There is one issue that is dividing the country: the struggle to access housing.”
The unions argue that rising accommodation costs are placing increasing pressure on workers, whose earnings have struggled to keep pace with the cost of living.
For tenants’ organisations, the strike represents an opportunity to connect housing affordability with broader questions about wages, economic inequality and the government’s responsibility to protect residents from displacement.
Housing Crisis Becomes Election Issue
The industrial action comes ahead of Spain’s general election scheduled for November 29, with the housing crisis emerging as a major issue in the political campaign.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the snap election after right-wing parties blocked emergency legislation intended to address the housing crisis.
The vote could reshape the country’s political landscape, with polling suggesting the possibility of a coalition between the conservative People’s Party and the far-right Vox party.
Sánchez has sought to place social issues, including housing affordability and workers’ rights, at the centre of his campaign. However, the political debate has also been affected by growing scrutiny of the country’s infrastructure following a second deadly high-speed rail disaster this year, in which at least 69 people were killed.
The shift has complicated the prime minister’s efforts to keep the campaign focused on the cost of living and other domestic concerns.
Sánchez has nevertheless used the general strike to highlight the historical role of organised labour in securing workers’ rights and improving public services.
In a video shared this week, he praised achievements such as the introduction of the eight-hour working day and national health insurance, crediting the labour movement and the right to strike for helping bring about social progress.
“It wasn’t easy, but they changed Spain,” he said.
The prime minister’s remarks sought to connect the current demonstrations with earlier struggles for workers’ rights, presenting the labour movement as an important force in shaping the country’s social development.
The nationwide strike has brought the housing crisis into sharper focus, demonstrating the extent to which rising accommodation costs have become a concern for workers, tenants and social organisations.
While unions are pressing for immediate policy changes, the government faces the challenge of addressing affordability without further deepening political divisions over housing regulation and the property market.
With the November 29 election approaching, the demonstrations have increased pressure on political parties to explain how they intend to tackle rising rents, protect vulnerable tenants and expand access to affordable homes.
