Workers across Spain gathered en masse on Wednesday, demonstrating and establishing picket lines despite stormy weather in many parts of the country.
It is the first general strike in Spain in 14 years, amid a worsening cost of living and a lack of housing crisis that has left many people unable to provide for themselves.
Symbolized by the expulsion and death of Maricarmen Abascal, 87, in Madrid earlier this year, the crisis also triggered early elections set for November 29.
The government of left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez tried to pass a law to ease the plight of tenants, but was blocked in parliament by opposition parties. Lacking the power to pass legislation, Sanchez called an early vote in hopes of gaining more support.
Sanchez’s government ended up approving two extraordinary decrees introducing measures similar to the housing reforms rejected by Parliament.
“We will not stop until we transform the housing model of this country from the ground up so that houses are intended for living instead of serving the minority (of owners),” said Alicia del Rio, spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants Union.
While most protests appeared to be peaceful, strikers outside Madrid’s Mercamadrid wholesale market said police used pepper spray on the crowd, prompting at least 13 people to seek medical attention.
Some airlines subsequently reported disruptions to flights to and from Spain, with some airport and airline employees taking part in the strike.
How big is the housing crisis in Spain?
The country has a deficit of around 750,000 housing units, which is expected to reach more than a million by 2028 according to central bank estimates.
With fewer people and families able to purchase a home, the number of renters in the country has risen sharply. According to the Spanish Youth Council, the average rent is 1,176 euros ($1,315). This is equivalent to 99% of the average young person’s salary.
The general strike comes a day after railway workers launched a strike following two major and fatal train accidents this year, making dilapidated infrastructure another major issue in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
How did political leaders react to the strike?
The government supported the strike, saying it was being carried out “in favor of rights” rather than against anyone. Sources close to Sánchez’s entourage go so far as to say that he is “against the opposition”.
Alberto Nunez Feijoo, leader of the conservative Popular Party (PP), said that if it is indeed a “strike against the opposition”, it is an “absurdity that does not exist in any other country in the European Union”.
Although the UGT union, one of the strike organizers, and Sanchez’s PSOE socialist party are two separate institutions, they share a historic founder in Pablo Iglesias Posse.
Strike supported by the government in place, think many in Spain
Nicole Ris, a journalist at DW in Madrid, closely followed the progress of the strike on Wednesday. Here’s what she had to say:
Here in Madrid, apparently a lot of people are still showing up for work and the people I know have clearly said they won’t strike because they don’t see much sense in it (even though they are all suffering from the cost of living crisis and the housing crisis).
“I’m not taking part in it. It’s absurd. The government supports it because it hopes to get enough votes on the 29th to be able to continue,” a Madrid doorman told me.
There is also debate whether this strike would be an “election strike” which could benefit the current government.
The government supports the strike, saying it is being carried out “in favor of rights” rather than against anyone. Sources close to Sánchez’s entourage went so far as to say that it was “against the opposition”, according to local media.
Gn world
