Spain housing strike on 11 November demands higher pay
A general strike across Spain on 11 November puts affordable homes and higher pay on the same list of demands. At a press conference in Madrid on Tuesday, 13 October, the leaders of Workers’ Commissions (CCOO) and the General Union of Workers (UGT) said better wages could help people secure a home. Unai Sordo of CCOO and Pepe Álvarez of UGT want the strike to bring workplace demands into the housing protests and draw more groups into them.
The eviction of Maricarmen Abascal helped spur the protests, Álvarez said. She was removed on 23 September from the Madrid rental home where she had lived for more than 70 years. Her eviction prompted protests and camps across Spain; news of her death came shortly before the strike was announced.
More homes, not just higher wages
Sordo wants Spain to commit resources worth 1% of its gross domestic product over a decade to create 1.5 million affordable homes. His plan combines new housing with bringing empty properties back into use. He also wants limits on holiday lets in areas where the housing market is under pressure, and protection from eviction for vulnerable people who have nowhere else to live.
Unions press for pay rises
Sordo is calling for wage rises of 4% to 7%, but says pay alone cannot make up for the rising cost of housing. Both unions want the minimum wage to rise by at least 7%, to more than €1,300 in 14 payments. They also want progress in collective pay talks.
The demands are aimed at employers and public authorities, from local councils to the national government. Sordo wants action on housing to continue beyond the current political cycle.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com