Spain’s 1st General Strike in 14 Years Snarls Transport, Arrests
(MENAFN) Clashes with police and road blockades marked Spain’s first general strike in 14 years on Wednesday, as workers demanded affordable housing and higher pay weeks before a national election.
The 24-hour stoppage disrupted transport and industry nationwide. A public broadcaster reported at least 23 arrests by late morning.
At Mercamadrid, the capital’s main wholesale food market, the Workers’ Commissions union said 13 protesters needed medical treatment after police moved against a picket line. Union leader Unai Sordo condemned officers’ use of pepper spray and said the demonstrators had been peaceful.
In Catalonia, picketers blocked major highways, industrial estates and entrances to Barcelona’s Sants railway station. Unions also reported production halts at large car manufacturing plants.
The country’s two main unions, UGT and Workers’ Commissions, called the strike together with smaller labor groups after prolonged pressure from housing campaigners. The movement gathered force after the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, 87, who later died in hospital and became a rallying point for protests over soaring housing costs. Organizers are also pressing for higher wages and stronger public services.
“No salary can keep up with housing prices in our country,” UGT leader Pepe Alvarez said ahead of the strike.
Competing claims on turnout
Unions and employers offered starkly different pictures of participation.
UGT and Workers’ Commissions put early turnout at roughly 90% in the automotive sector and at ports including Valencia and Algeciras. They also cited major stoppages in meat processing and garbage collection. As evidence of the strike’s reach, unions pointed to a 10% drop in electricity consumption. Employers’ associations called participation low, noting that energy use fell 14% during earlier general strikes.
Public services were affected unevenly. Andalusia’s regional government said schools and health facilities ran normally, though a regional broadcaster suspended its television programming because of the strike. Universities in other regions largely stopped classes.
Transport ran at reduced capacity. Trains operated at 50% to 75% of normal levels, 234 flights were canceled and public transit was curtailed. Demonstrations were scheduled through the day, with large evening marches planned in cities across Spain.
Strike collides with election campaign
The walkout comes weeks before Spain’s Nov. 29 election. The governing coalition backs it, while right-wing opposition leaders accuse the unions of campaigning for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The government and its parliamentary allies have urged people to take part, tying the protesters’ demands to their own housing and social policies.
Popular Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo told a national television channel on Tuesday that the strike was “the most profound historic mistake by unions since democracy began in our country,”
Far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal said the walkout “should not be legal” and accused the unions of siding with Sanchez’s government against the opposition. He warned that his party would “take note” of the unions’ conduct if Spain saw a change of government.
Union leaders said preparations began before Sanchez called the election. Alvarez said Wednesday that the demands target not only the central government but also regional and local authorities and employers.
“The Popular Party and the Socialist Party have to listen to us because the streets are speaking forcefully. There is a very serious housing problem,” he told a public broadcaster.
The 24-hour stoppage disrupted transport and industry nationwide. A public broadcaster reported at least 23 arrests by late morning.
At Mercamadrid, the capital’s main wholesale food market, the Workers’ Commissions union said 13 protesters needed medical treatment after police moved against a picket line. Union leader Unai Sordo condemned officers’ use of pepper spray and said the demonstrators had been peaceful.
In Catalonia, picketers blocked major highways, industrial estates and entrances to Barcelona’s Sants railway station. Unions also reported production halts at large car manufacturing plants.
The country’s two main unions, UGT and Workers’ Commissions, called the strike together with smaller labor groups after prolonged pressure from housing campaigners. The movement gathered force after the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, 87, who later died in hospital and became a rallying point for protests over soaring housing costs. Organizers are also pressing for higher wages and stronger public services.
“No salary can keep up with housing prices in our country,” UGT leader Pepe Alvarez said ahead of the strike.
Competing claims on turnout
Unions and employers offered starkly different pictures of participation.
UGT and Workers’ Commissions put early turnout at roughly 90% in the automotive sector and at ports including Valencia and Algeciras. They also cited major stoppages in meat processing and garbage collection. As evidence of the strike’s reach, unions pointed to a 10% drop in electricity consumption. Employers’ associations called participation low, noting that energy use fell 14% during earlier general strikes.
Public services were affected unevenly. Andalusia’s regional government said schools and health facilities ran normally, though a regional broadcaster suspended its television programming because of the strike. Universities in other regions largely stopped classes.
Transport ran at reduced capacity. Trains operated at 50% to 75% of normal levels, 234 flights were canceled and public transit was curtailed. Demonstrations were scheduled through the day, with large evening marches planned in cities across Spain.
Strike collides with election campaign
The walkout comes weeks before Spain’s Nov. 29 election. The governing coalition backs it, while right-wing opposition leaders accuse the unions of campaigning for Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The government and its parliamentary allies have urged people to take part, tying the protesters’ demands to their own housing and social policies.
Popular Party leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo told a national television channel on Tuesday that the strike was “the most profound historic mistake by unions since democracy began in our country,”
Far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal said the walkout “should not be legal” and accused the unions of siding with Sanchez’s government against the opposition. He warned that his party would “take note” of the unions’ conduct if Spain saw a change of government.
Union leaders said preparations began before Sanchez called the election. Alvarez said Wednesday that the demands target not only the central government but also regional and local authorities and employers.
“The Popular Party and the Socialist Party have to listen to us because the streets are speaking forcefully. There is a very serious housing problem,” he told a public broadcaster.
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