Spain’s First General Strike in 14 Years Begins, Putting Housing at Centre of Election Run-Up

Spain's first general strike in 14 years got under way on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, with unions and housing activists pressing the government over rents, wages and prices. A national election is less than three weeks away. The only reporting available covers the first hours, so the strike's final scale and impact are not yet known.

Both source texts are the same a report report, carried by the another report and a further report, so they are not independent confirmation of each other.

What was reported in the first hours

The strike was expected to delay public transport and slow or shut businesses, factories and shops in the eurozone's fourth-largest economy. a further report's version of the report says millions of workers were striking. That is an early characterisation, and no independent count was given.

Minor incidents were reported overnight. They included roadblocks in Barcelona, some with burning tyres, and scuffles between picketers and police near Madrid's main wholesale market. Strikers also set off fireworks at midnight in Barcelona's public squares.

The two main unions behind the strike, UGT and CCOO, said in a social media statement that participation was widespread in the early hours. They claimed stoppages of 90% in automotive and ports, 85% in meat, 82% in waste collection and 75% in energy. These are union figures, not verified totals.

What strikers are demanding

The official slogan is "Salaries. Housing. Prices." UGT and CCOO want more government intervention in the housing market and a new minimum wage agreement, to be negotiated with the business owners' association.

Housing activists want tourist apartments eliminated, a crackdown on real estate speculation and automatic lease renewals for renters. The report says average rent in Spain has almost doubled in 10 years.

The eviction that sparked the call

According to a further report's version, anger over housing peaked after the nationally televised eviction last month of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid, known as Maricarmen. Her later death deepened the outrage. Activists used the uproar to call the strike and won the backing of UGT and CCOO. The report does not describe the circumstances of her eviction or death.

The government then pushed through emergency measures to limit evictions and help tenants, the report says. Right-wing parties in Parliament refused to ratify them, arguing they would drive properties off the rental market. On Thursday, the government will try again to get the two decrees ratified by a reduced interim Parliament. The full lower chamber rejected them last month. The outcome is not reported.

How the parties are reading the strike

The report says Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called the election on Oct. 5 to seek four more years for his left-wing coalition. It is unclear from the text whether that is the date he called the vote or the election date, since the strike is described as less than three weeks before the election. A high-speed train collision that killed 69 people, described as Spain's second deadly rail disaster this year, has dominated the news and weighed on his campaign.

Sánchez posted a video praising the workers' movement and the right to strike, and warned that right-wing parties would bring austerity. Verónica Martínez, spokesperson for Sumar, the junior coalition partner, said the left needs workers to mobilise.

The Popular Party and Vox oppose housing intervention beyond encouraging new construction. They say the unions are trying to help Sánchez stay in office. PP spokesperson Miguel Tellado, speaking on Tuesday, called it "an electoral strike". The report says months of polling show voters leaning right.

Analyst Oriol Bartomeus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona told the AP that the Socialists need a successful, non-violent strike to bring the campaign back to housing. In his view, the right could gain if it turns violent. His claim that the PP and Vox want the strike to flop and end in street violence is his opinion, not a documented intention.

What remains unknown

• Verified participation and disruption by the end of the day, from government, employers or independent sources.
• The exact election date and current polling.
• Whether the Thursday parliamentary vote on the housing decrees succeeds.
• The details of Maricarmen's case and of the train collision.

Questions answered

What are the strikers demanding?

UGT and CCOO want more government intervention in housing and a new minimum wage agreement. Housing activists want tourist apartments eliminated, a crackdown on real estate speculation and automatic lease renewals.

What disruption was reported so far?

Minor incidents were reported in the first hours: roadblocks in Barcelona, some with burning tyres, and scuffles between picketers and police near Madrid's main wholesale market. Delays to public transport were expected. Full impact is not yet known.

Who is Maricarmen?

According to a further report's version of the AP report, she was an 87-year-old woman evicted from her Madrid home in a nationally televised eviction last month. Her subsequent death made her a symbol of renters' anger, and activists used the outrage to call the strike.