Spain Holds First General Strike in 14 Years

BARCELONA, Spain — Workers across Spain walked off the job Wednesday in the country’s first general strike since 2012, a nationwide protest built around the cost of housing that slowed transit, idled factories and shut down ports with a national vote under three weeks away.

The 24-hour stoppage was called by UGT and CCOO, the country’s two biggest labor unions, along with tenant associations and other labor groups. Organizers framed it around three demands: higher pay, affordable housing and lower prices.

Union figures put early participation at 90% at ports and in auto plants, 85% in meat processing, 82% in garbage collection and 75% in energy. Turnout was lower in health care and social services, at 38%, and in mail delivery, at 35%, by the unions’ count. Car plants run by Volkswagen in Navarre and SEAT in Barcelona were reported fully stopped.

Rent is the core grievance. Average rents in Spain have nearly doubled over the past decade, and the national youth council says the typical monthly rent of 1,176 euros, about $1,315, eats up almost all of a young worker’s average pay. The Bank of Spain estimates the country is short about 750,000 homes, a gap it expects to top 1 million by 2028.

Tenant groups want tourist apartments eliminated, tougher limits on real estate speculation and automatic lease renewals for renters. The unions are also seeking a bigger state role in housing, plus fresh minimum wage talks with employers.

Anger over housing grew after the televised eviction last month of an 87-year-old Madrid woman who later died. The government responded with emergency decrees limiting evictions and aiding renters, but right-wing parties in Parliament voted them down. The government plans to bring the two decrees back Thursday before a smaller interim body of lawmakers.

Weather added to the disruption. Two storms led the national weather agency to post alerts for 14 regions, threatening afternoon marches. The strike also followed a Tuesday walkout by train drivers seeking more spending on rail maintenance and safety after the country’s second deadly train crash this year.

Spaniards vote Nov. 29 in a snap general election.

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