The unions CC OO and UGT have agreed to support a 24-hour general strike this autumn, the first joint one since 2012, focused on the right to housing and decent wages. The employers' association CEOE considers it "hardly justifiable" during the electoral process.
CC OO and UGT have decided to proceed with the call for a 24-hour general strike this autumn, despite the discomfort expressed by the employers' association CEOE. The protest, which does not yet have a specific date, will focus on the demand for the right to housing and decent wages to afford it, as confirmed by both trade unions. This will be the first general strike supported by the two major unions since 2012.
The information, reported by mundiario.com, indicates that the mobilization arises after protests regarding access to housing, particularly following the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old woman in the Retiro neighbourhood of Madrid, who later reached an agreement with the property company Urbagestión. The case became a symbol of a problem that has generated demonstrations and encampments in several cities.
The unions aim to hold the strike before the start of the electoral campaign on 29-N, which begins on 13 November. The general secretary of UGT, Pepe Álvarez, has stated that November would be a reasonable time, but has ruled out that the strike coincides with the campaign. The final date will be agreed upon with social organizations and the Madrid Tenants' Union, and it is not ruled out that the day will combine a general strike with mobilizations and partial strikes in specific sectors or territories.
"We have been denouncing for some time that wages are not enough to live on. That housing consumes any wage increase. We cannot continue like this. Therefore, in agreement with the Tenants' Unions, we call for a General Strike."
The CEOE has described the strike as "hardly justifiable" and "inadmissible" during the electoral process, questioning whether the demands are essentially labour-related. Its president, Antonio Garamendi, argues that the conflict pertains to legislative and budgetary decisions regarding housing that belong to public administrations and not to companies. The employers' association warns that in Spain, strikes that do not have labour-related demands and are politically motivated are prohibited, although it specifies that its assessment is not definitive because the call does not yet have a date or formal notice.
The unions argue that housing is directly linked to the interests of workers and that if wages do not allow for the cost of rent, there is a labour problem. The announcement marks the beginning of a process that should culminate in a formal call, the corresponding notice, and the definition of minimum services.
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