With Spanish citizens heading to the polls at the end of November, citizens are sending a powerful message to the European nation’s politicians over the ongoing affordability crisis in housing.
On Wednesday, November 11, more than 4 million Spanish workers took to the streets in a general strike, the nation’s first in 14 years.
24-Hour Walkout
The 24-hour walkout began midnight on Wednesday, disrupting public transport throughout the country while suspending public services.
Businesses, factories and retail outlets scaled back their operations, with many even shutting down entirely, while protesters clashed with police in the Spanish capital of Madrid.
The strike was called by the nation’s two primary unions, the UGT and CCOO, and received widespread support from the nation’s workers.
As Reuters reported, the massive general strike resulted in “significant work stoppages in strategic sectors,” including ports and automotive manufacturing, which saw business throughout the entire country grind to a halt.
A Shameful Eviction Lit the Fuse
The catalyst for the general strike was the September eviction of Maricarmen Abascal, an 87-year-old Madrid pensioner with a disability. She was ejected from her home of seven decades when she could not longer afford to live there after a rent hike of more than 230 percent.
When Abascal passed away days after being forcibly removed from her home, a wave of nationwide protests saw Spaniards take to the streets to protest rising housing costs and stagnant wages.
Those demonstrations included hundreds of protesters occupying Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square for five weeks, which sparked similiar demonstrations throughout Spain.
Spaniards have been struggling with housing costs, with the average rent in the country having nearly doubled over the past decade, stretching budgets to the breaking point while infuriating voters.
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a socialist, called a snap election for November 29 after his minority government was unable to pass various measures intended to respond to housing costs and quell the protests.
“This is not a strike against anyone, but rather one in favour of a common response from all levels of government to a real problem, which is access to housing,” said Sanchez said in an interview published Sunday in the daily newspaper La Vanguardia, as reported by Al Jazeera.
As the outlet points out, “Spain’s average gross monthly salary is about 2,460 euros, while renting a 50-square-metre apartment in Madrid cost an average of 1,170 euros a month in October, according to property portal Idealista. That amounts to nearly half the average gross salary, and 98.7 percent of the average young person’s income, according to the Youth Council of Spain.”
4 Million Spanish Workers Take to the Streets in General Strike As Anger Rages Over Housing Affordability Crisis