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Spain's Workers Stage First General Strike in 14 Years Over Housing Crisis

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In Short: Millions of Spanish workers went on strike on November 11, demanding government action on the country's housing crisis.

General strike in Spain (5035301635).

Spain's first general strike in 14 years, 3 weeks before national polls • FRANCE 24 English. FRANCE 24 English

Millions of workers across Spain went on strike on November 11, marking the country's first general strike in 14 years. The strike was called by the two main unions, UGT and CCOO, in response to the housing crisis and the rising cost of living.

The unions reported significant participation, with 90 percent of workers in the automotive and port sectors joining the strike. The strike disrupted public transport and forced businesses, factories, and shops to scale back operations or close entirely.

The strike comes less than three weeks before a national election scheduled for November 29, which could bring the far right to power. Spain's socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called a snap election after his minority government failed to secure parliamentary approval for a package of housing measures.

The average rent in Spain has almost doubled over the past 10 years, eating into household budgets and angering voters. The UGT and CCOO unions called the strike following a wave of nationwide protests over access to housing, sparked by the eviction of an 87-year-old Madrid pensioner who died several days later.

The CEOE organization, which represents business leaders, said the impact varied by region and area of work, with a 'low participation' in most sectors. CEOE noted that the drop in power demand was less than the 14% experienced in the last general strike.

Spain has a deficit of about 750,000 homes, which is set to grow to more than a million by 2028, according to the central bank.

The unions called for Madrid workers to gather and march through the city center later on November 11.

What this adds

What's confirmed

• Millions of workers across Spain are striking to demand government action over the country’s housing crisis, less than three weeks before a national election that could bring the far right to power.

What's still developing

• It’s well above the 30 percent share commonly recommended by housing experts and public institutions.
• Feijoo, whose party leads opinion polls, said going ahead with the strike was a “serious mistake” following a high-speed train collision last month in central Spain that killed 69 people.
• Aviation workers in Kenya have called off a strike that disrupted flights at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi and other airports for two days, after reaching a return-to-work agreement with the government.
• Huerta said she had kept silent for so long because she feared that coming forward would compromise her life's work and unravel all the progress made for workers.
• As layoffs pile up, workers are feeling increasingly anxious about the job market.
• Some, including Michigan congressional candidate Jeremy Moss, spoke at a press conference at the United Auto Workers headquarters in Detroit to support Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed hours after Stevens, a Democrat, endorsed Rogers across town.
• On October 23, 2025, more than 100,000 workers walked off the job in Aotearoa (the Māori-language name for New Zealand): 60,000 teachers, 30,000 nurses, 5,000 doctors, 20,000 allied health workers, firefighters, and public servants.

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