Spain's first general strike in 14 years hits transport and factories over housing

A walkout over housing and wages

Spain held its first nationwide general strike in 14 years on Wednesday, 11 November, backed by CCOO and UGT alongside the Sindicato de Inquilinas, under the slogan "Salarios, vivienda, precios". The action links rising rents and falling purchasing power to a broader protest, and it came less than three weeks before the general election set for 29 November. Foreign media coverage read the walkout as another sign of social discontent across Europe, following recent protests in France and Italy.

Uneven turnout across sectors and regions

Participation varied widely, and most of the figures come from the unions. CCOO put turnout at up to 84% in Catalonia, while CCOO and UGT together claimed 75% in Andalusia and Aragón and around 41% in Extremadura and Castilla-La Mancha. Car manufacturing was hit hardest, with the Seat plant in Martorell halting production from the night before, and unions said 70% of industry in the Valencian Community had stopped. On transport, Madrid's metro ran minimum services, Barcelona's metro was set to stay closed until 16:30, and RENFE reported cancellations of up to 24% on AVE high-speed trains. Business organisations, by contrast, described a limited impact across much of the economy.

Catalonia (CCOO)84%

Andalusia and Aragón (CCOO and UGT)75%

Catalonia (CCOO)

84 %

Andalusia and Aragón (CCOO and UGT)

75 %

Data from the article text

Clashes and detentions

Clashes concentrated in Madrid and Catalonia. At Mercamadrid, pepper spray used against pickets left 13 people injured, according to the unions, and one person was detained for throwing a fence at officers. From noon hundreds of protesters blocked traffic on the Gran Vía, and the Policía Nacional charged repeatedly to reopen the road. CCOO leader Unai Sordo condemned the use of pepper spray against pickets who, at worst, had briefly held up a truck, and the unions said they would seek criminal and other forms of accountability. In Catalonia more than 30 roads were cut, including the AP-7 motorway.

Agencies counted around thirty detainees by mid-morning, and Interior's breakdown by province is shown in the chart below. A politician from Adelante Andalucía was reported with a broken rib.

Madrid8

Málaga and Almería4

Granada3

Zamora2

Navarra1

Valladolid1

La Rioja1

Alicante1

Valencia1

Madrid

8 detainees

Málaga and Almería

4 detainees

Granada

3 detainees

Zamora

2 detainees

Navarra

1 detainees

Valladolid

1 detainees

La Rioja

1 detainees

Alicante

1 detainees

Valencia

1 detainees

Data from the article text

Vandalism and the housing debate

An estate agency on Fernando el Católico street in Madrid was vandalised, with "buitre" and "especulador" painted outside and its lock broken. Staff arriving at 9:00 found the damage, and opening was delayed until 11:30. The company said it had filed a complaint so the incident would be investigated, and argued that disagreement over housing policy cannot justify attacks on businesses and workers. The incident came weeks after the government approved two royal decree-laws on housing and rent, which change rental rules and tenant protections.

Political reactions

Alicia del Río, spokesperson for the Sindicato de Inquilinas, called the day a success on Al Rojo Vivo.

“Today is a day of celebration.”

She said the organisation had planned the strike since 2025 and accelerated it when social mobilisations broke out, and she claimed the movement had brought one million people onto the streets and set up 1,340 strike committees in neighbourhoods. The Partido Popular dismissed the strike as meaningless and accused unions of using it for electoral ends. Del Río answered that the walkout goes against common sense, that it hurts the PP, and that it is aimed at all parties.

“The strike is against the culprits and those responsible for the housing crisis.”

Del Río also accused the PP of being very close to Antonio Garamendi, head of the CEOE employers' group, and answered Isabel Díaz Ayuso's call for Alberto Núñez Feijóo to end union activity by warning that rights to protest, free expression and assembly were at stake. On subsidies, the PP had not ruled out cutting what unions receive, and Del Río said the organisation receives none.

What comes next

Del Río said the movement would keep growing "whoever governs", while the unions have said they will pursue accountability over the police charges. The next political test is the general election on 29 November.