Spain general strike on 11 November over housing

11 November in Spain: unions plan a general strike over the housing crisis. Their representatives are due at the Ministry of Labour and Social Economy in Madrid on Monday to register the planned action. Spain’s two main unions, CCOO and UGT, are among those backing the strike.

A housing fight marked by an eviction

Unions confirmed the strike on 7 October, the day Maricarmen died. The 87-year-old had been evicted in late September from the Madrid home where she had lived for 71 years. Her case has become a symbol of the fight for housing.

Alicia del Río, a tenants’ union spokeswoman, wants open-ended rental contracts, steep cuts in rents and house prices, and an end to evictions. The unions also want a wealth tax to fund public housing and an end to speculative property buying.

Pay demands join the housing protest

CCOO and UGT are also calling for higher pay, shorter working hours, better workplace health and an end to insecure work. They want price controls and progress in collective bargaining.

The strike is set for two days before the election campaign begins on 13 November. The early general election on 29 November was called after Congress rejected two government decree-laws on housing.

Topics: Housing · Jobs & labour

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com