Spain’s first general strike in 14 years brings clashing social and political desires to the fore
What happened
Millions of Spanish workers walked out on Wednesday in the country's first general strike since 2012, demanding action on a housing crisis ahead of a snap election on November 29.
The two main unions behind it, UGT and CCOO, reported stoppages of 90% in the automotive and port sectors and 82% in waste collection in the early hours.
Authorities estimated 120,000 people marched through central Madrid in heavy rain, carrying house-shaped placards and chanting "We have no home".
Minor clashes broke out, including roadblocks with burning tyres in Barcelona and scuffles between picketers and police near Madrid's main wholesale market.
Housing activists want tourist apartments eliminated, a crackdown on speculation and automatic lease renewals; the unions seek more state intervention in housing and a new minimum wage deal.
Angela de Miguel, vice president of the CEOE business lobby, said the strike was counterproductive and that building more homes and cutting construction taxes was the solution.
Unions called the strike a success despite uneven turnout, with the strongest backing in coastal regions, according to Cyprus Mail.
“I'm 36 years old and I still can't move out on my own”
Cyprus Mail
Summary written by AI from 3 independent sources (The Hindu, France 24, Cyprus Mail) and checked automatically against them for copied text and numbers that are not in the sources. How we work
Open on the live globe →Who reported it
- 2026-11-11 08:23 UTCThe Hindu · thehindu.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 08:29 UTCFrance 24 · france24.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 08:52 UTCCyprus Mail · cyprus-mail.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 09:04 UTCArab Times via AP · arabtimesonline.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 09:11 UTCDW · dw.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 09:30 UTCEl País América · english.elpais.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 09:54 UTCNPR via AP · npr.org ↗
- 2026-11-11 09:57 UTCSCMP via Reuters · scmp.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 10:18 UTCAl Jazeera · aljazeera.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 10:55 UTCCopenhagen Post · cphpost.dk ↗
- 2026-11-11 11:26 UTCTimesLIVE via Reuters · timeslive.co.za ↗
- 2026-11-11 12:39 UTCCNBC · cnbc.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 13:54 UTCGuardian · theguardian.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 14:06 UTCBBC same text as Al Jazeera · bbc.co.uk ↗
- 2026-11-11 15:54 UTCNYT · nytimes.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 16:29 UTCCNA · channelnewsasia.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 18:00 UTCMyJoyOnline same text as Al Jazeera · myjoyonline.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 18:03 UTCABC · abc.net.au ↗
- 2026-11-11 21:20 UTCCBC · cbc.ca ↗
- 2026-11-11 21:34 UTCArab News · arabnews.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 22:22 UTCJapan Times · japantimes.co.jp ↗
- 2026-11-11 22:54 UTCEuronews · euronews.com ↗
- 2026-11-11 22:54 UTCAfricanews same text as Euronews · africanews.com ↗
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