Spain Hit by First General Strike in 14 Years Over Housing
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Spain's main unions called a general strike on Wednesday over housing and the cost of living. It was the first one in 14 years, and it landed weeks before a national election.
Disruption in industrial hubs
Transport and other public services faced serious disruption. Some of the biggest disruption came in Madrid and in Catalonia, in the north-east, where traffic stopped on several main roads. Tens of thousands marched in Madrid and Barcelona in the evening.
Dozens of people were detained after a range of incidents, according to the interior ministry. Spanish reports also described attacks on estate agencies' offices.
Two readings of the turnout
Pepe Álvarez, head of the large UGT union, called the strike a success and said participation was massive. Unai Sordo of the CC OO union called turnout very significant. The Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations disagreed: it said turnout was patchy and low, varying by region and industry.
Electricity use gives a rough second measure. Power demand in Spain's industrial sector fell 7.5% in the early hours, according to grid operator Red Eléctrica. At the last general strike, 14 years ago, the equivalent fall was more than 15%.
What lit the fuse
Protests over affordable housing grew after the eviction of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal from a Madrid flat where she had lived for seven decades. She had faced a tripling of her rent under new landlords, and she died in hospital weeks later.
Idealista put the average monthly rent for a 50 square metre flat in Madrid at €1,170 in October. Spain's average gross monthly salary is about €2,460. That is nearly half, against the 30% that housing experts and public institutions often call affordable.
Gonzalo Álvarez, 27, who works in sales and volunteers for a tenants' union, told the BBC that buying a home is completely out of reach on current salaries. He and his girlfriend pay €1,000 between them for a one-bedroom flat, about half of each person's pay.
A strike with a political edge
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called an early election last month, after parliament did not back his housing reform plan. Voters go to the polls on 29 November. His government has encouraged workers to stop work and demand affordable housing.
The opposition People's Party sees it differently. It accused the government of using the strike for electoral gain. Its leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, called the strike nonsense. The party leads in the polls, and a right-wing government looks the most likely result.
Miguel Garrido, vice-president of business association CEOE, said: "This is not a strike for labour-related reasons, but rather for political ones." He also said business has hardly any hand in what housing costs.
Sánchez, for his part, said it is the questioning of workers' right to strike that is nonsense. Demonstrations were planned in several of the biggest cities later in the day. How many turn out will be taken as a measure of public discontent before the vote.
Source: BBC News