Overview
- UGT and CCOO, together with tenants’ groups, said about four million people joined the 24-hour general strike on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2026, the first national walkout in 14 years driven primarily by housing grievances.
- Unions reported heavy stoppages in strategic sectors, with total halts at Volkswagen’s Navarre plant and SEAT’s Barcelona factory, reduced metro services, some flight cancellations, and a measurable drop in electricity demand.
- Most demonstrations were peaceful but clashes in Madrid and Barcelona produced dozens to more than 100 arrests, Amnesty International and unions alleged excessive police force, and the Interior Ministry has ordered investigations into policing tactics.
- The strike has sharpened political tensions as the government tries to push housing decrees through a reduced interim parliament before the Nov. 29 election while opposition parties and business groups dispute union turnout claims.
- Spain faces an estimated shortfall of about 750,000 homes and rapidly rising rents that take up large shares of young workers’ pay, pressures that protesters say are driving demands for automatic lease renewals, curbs on speculation, and more social housing.