Four million Spanish workers took part in a general strike on Wednesday, November 11, unions said — the country's first nationwide general strike in 14 years — in a protest against a housing affordability crisis less than three weeks before a snap general election.
Workers endured stormy weather to set up picket lines across the country. The 24-hour walkout was backed by Spain's two largest unions, UGT and CCOO, together representing more than a million workers, as well as tenants' associations angry about rising rents and evictions. It disrupted transport, factories, ports and public services, with minimum service levels set in some sectors.
It is the first general strike since workers downed tools in 2012 against austerity measures during the euro zone debt crisis.
Behind the anger is a housing shortage the central bank puts at about 750,000 homes — a deficit set to grow to more than a million by 2028. The average rent of €1,176 (about $1,315) is equivalent to about 98.7% of a young person's average monthly salary in Spain, according to the Youth Council of Spain. Rents have nearly doubled over the past decade.
The tenants' union said it still expected participation to reach 5 million people by the end of the day. Spain has around 23 million workers, according to the national statistics institute. Business organizations disputed the unions' scale figures.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez hopes to harness voter resentment over housing in the November 29 snap election to shift the political narrative away from corruption cases involving his inner circle and a deadly train crash last month, Reuters reported. The strike's organizers say the message is simpler: wages that can pay for a home.
Sources: Reuters (Nov 11, 2026, via SRN News); CNN (Nov 11, 2026); The Guardian reporting via Public Services International (Nov 11, 2026).
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