Tens of thousands of protesters marched across Spain on Wednesday during a general strike over housing affordability and purchasing power, just weeks before an early general election.
Unions reported a significant response in some sectors in Spain’s first nationwide 24-hour stoppage since 2012, but business leaders played down the participation.
Braving pouring rain, about 120,000 demonstrators marched through central Madrid, according to an estimate by authorities. They carried placards shaped like houses and chanted “We have no home” as they called for more affordable housing.
“People work a lot and it isn’t enough to pay the rent, to pay for a house,” Paula Diaz, a 25-year-old theatre technician who lives with her parents, told AFP at the Madrid protest.
“I hope a government that benefits us comes to power, especially the working class,” she added, referring to the Nov. 29 election.
In Barcelona, authorities estimated 55,000 people marched along the city’s upscale Passeig de Gracia shopping street. Maria Pinana told AFP “the law of supply and demand does not apply to housing.”
“The price of rents should be regulated,” said the 34-year-old microbiologist, who lives with friends in an apartment where parts of the ceiling have collapsed.
Thousands more attended smaller protests in other cities across Spain.
The size of the demonstrations was seen as an indicator of public discontent ahead of the snap election, in which the right-wing opposition is predicted to defeat Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Some violence broke out after the Barcelona rally. AFP journalists saw groups of hooded and masked protesters hurl projectiles at police and set garbage bins on fire.
‘Failure’
In Madrid, where many shops opened as normal, demonstrators blocked some roads earlier on Wednesday. Similar picket actions took place across the country.
Public transit was disrupted despite minimum service requirements for commuter trains, subways and buses, especially in and around Barcelona.
By contrast, Madrid’s metro reported that 93 per cent of its trains ran in the early morning, although ridership was down by about half.
UGT union leader Pepe Alvarez told public broadcaster RTVE that participation was “massive,” with a “total” stoppage in some regions making the strike “a huge success.”
But his union acknowledged participation was “uneven.” Turnout was strong in the auto manufacturing, petrochemical and meat sectors, and in coastal regions.
The CEOE, which represents business leaders, called the strike “a failure.” It said in a statement that most sectors operated normally.
Electricity demand fell by about 5 per cent, which the CEOE said was “significantly lower” than in previous strikes.
‘New cycle’
Spain’s two main unions, the UGT and CCOO, called the strike after a wave of nationwide protests over access to housing. The protests were sparked by the eviction of an 87-year-old Madrid pensioner in September.
Valeria Racu, spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants’ Union, which has been at the forefront of the protests for weeks, vowed to “put an end to the housing business in this country.”
“A new cycle is beginning with trade unionism and conflict at its centre. This day of strikes has been a resounding success,” she said.
Sanchez called the election, originally scheduled for 2027, after his minority government failed to win parliamentary approval for a package of housing measures it had proposed in response to the demonstrations.
Business groups and the right have rejected the strike as an election ploy rather than a genuine labour dispute.
The unions have insisted the strike targets all levels of the state, not only the right, which voted down the government’s housing decrees.
They have defended the walkout as an exceptional measure meant to build broad social pressure for action on soaring housing costs.
The cost of living is another major concern. Inflation hit 4.9 per cent in September and October, its highest level in more than three years.
Isabel Iglesias, a 27-year-old nurse who lives in Madrid, said housing was the issue “that is affecting me the most.” She and her partner pay 1,000 euros (about $1,600) a month in rent, while she earns 1,700 euros (about $2,700) a month.
Iglesias said Sanchez, who has been in power since 2018, “could have done much more” on housing. She urged the next government “to listen to everyone and get their act together.”
