Workers across Spain stage first general strike in 14 years over nation’s housing crisis

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Less than three weeks before a national election, housing activists want measures, including elimination of tourist apartments and protection for renters

Less than three weeks before a national election that could catapult the far right to power, millions of Spain’s workers are striking on Wednesday to demand that the government remedy the nation’s housing crisis.

The general strike – Spain’s first in 14 years – is causing delays in the public transport system and slowing down factories across the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy. Many schools and universities reportedly closed or are working at minimal capacity. In the capital, Madrid, this adds to an ongoing strike started by teachers nearly a month ago to demand better working conditions.

In Barcelona, the country’s second-largest city, public transport was at a standstill or facing long delays in the morning rush hour. In Madrid, which saw heavy rains in the morning, city buses were the hardest affected. Unions have called for Madrid workers to gather and march through the city centre later Wednesday. Marches and gatherings are also planned in Barcelona and other cities.

The two main unions calling for the strike, UGT and CCOO, said in a statement that there was widespread participation, “with significant work stoppages in strategic sectors” – 90 per cent in the automotive and port sectors, 85 per cent in the meat industry, 82 per cent in waste collection, and 75 per cent in the energy sector.

“It’s extremely important to remind people that we, the workers – who are also renters or who also pay mortgages – are the ones with the power to halt production and bring the economy to a standstill,” Sandra Mora, spokesperson for the Tenants’ Union, told the national radio, RNE.

Minor incidents were reported in the first hours of the strike, including roadblocks – some with burning tires – in Barcelona, and scuffles between picketers and police near the country’s main wholesale market on Madrid’s outskirts.

Earlier, at the stroke of midnight on Wednesday, striking workers set off fireworks as they gathered in public squares in Barcelona.

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