Protestsupdated 2h ago2 min read
Spanish Unions Call Nov 11 General Strike Over Housing And Wages After Maricarmen Death
Spanish unions call a general strike for November 11 over housing and wages. Maricarmen Abascal, 87, died after eviction, fueling nationwide protests over housing.
General strike announced
Spain's main unions called on Wednesday for a general strike on November 11 to ratchet up pressure over housing and wages before a snap general election. Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government had presented two decrees last week that included more restrictions on evictions and the automatic renewal of tenant contracts, but the conservative and far-right opposition voted down the minority government's decrees in parliament. Sanchez then brought forward to November 29 a general election initially scheduled for 2027, after the parliamentary rejection of the housing measures.
The UGT and CCOO urged the population to "mobilise for better salaries, for decent housing and for price controls in the face of inflation that undermines our purchasing power," framing the strike as a response to real estate pressures. The unions also denounced "a corporate policy that takes advantage of the country's economic growth to swell its wealth with large profits at the expense of working people's wages" as protests continued across Spain.
Maricarmen death fuels protests
Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Madrid pensioner whose eviction sparked nationwide protests, died on Wednesday, deepening the housing crisis that has dominated Spanish politics.
The Madrid Tenants' Union said her case marked "a turning point in the history of this country," and it described her as having been escorted from her life-long home on a stretcher after the eviction.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted on X, "All my love to Maricarmen’s family and loved ones. A hug too to those of us who today feel this loss as our own," as protesters in Puerta del Sol wept, embraced each other, and lit candles.
Protesters marched to parliament chanting: "the struggle continues, Maricarmen lives," AFP journalists saw, while Nora Boumghait, 25, said, "Even though she's dead, a struggle has begun that will not stop."
The protests also included encampments, with hundreds of people pitching tents in Madrid's Puerta del Sol square and similar camps set up in other cities.
Pressure on housing policy
Spain's government responded to the housing crisis and the political fallout by presenting new gas price caps and fuel discounts to shield consumers amid inflation. Spanish inflation hit 4.9 percent in September, its highest level since February 2023, as the housing crisis continued to drive nationwide protests and pressure on political leaders. The main tenants' unions had spearheaded pressure on Spain's political class for weeks to reform a housing market that is out of reach for many Spaniards, young and old.
The UGT and CCOO positioned the November 11 strike as a way to intensify demands for housing and wages, while the snap election on November 29 followed the rejection of the government's decrees in parliament. Sanchez accused the main conservative Popular Party (PP) and far-right Vox of siding with speculators and large investment funds by downing his housing measures, while the opposition said Sanchez was to blame for not improving the situation during his eight years in office.