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Spain’s Unions Call Housing Strike Weeks Before Snap Election
Spain’s two biggest unions want workers to join a nationwide strike on November 11.
They say the protest is about housing problems.
The date still needs approval from other unions.
The planned strike comes after demonstrations about evictions and rising rents.
One protest began after an 87-year-old woman was evicted in Madrid.
The country’s snap election is set for November 29.
Housing has become an issue in the election campaign.
Spain’s central bank estimates the country is short about 750,000 homes.
A renters’ group says the average rent takes up nearly all of a young person’s average monthly pay.
Spain’s two largest unions, UGT and CCOO, announced plans for a nationwide general strike on November 11 over housing issues.
The strike date still needs formal ratification by other unions at a meeting later Wednesday.
It would be the first general strike jointly backed by UGT and CCOO in 14 years.
Housing protests followed the eviction of an 87-year-old woman in Madrid and have included activists camping in a central square.
Spain’s snap election is scheduled for November 29, with rising rents and evictions among campaign topics.
- Who
- Spain’s unions UGT and CCOO announced the planned strike; other unions still need to ratify the date.
- What
- A nationwide general strike over housing issues is planned.
- Where
- Spain.
- When
- November 11; formal ratification was due at a meeting later on Wednesday.
- Why
- The unions are protesting housing issues amid rising rents and evictions.
Key facts
- Planned strike date
- November 11
- Snap election date
- November 29
- Unions announcing the date
- UGT and CCOO
- Joint strike history
- The first general strike jointly backed by the two unions in 14 years
- Estimated housing deficit
- About 750,000 homes, according to the Bank of Spain
- Projected housing deficit
- More than one million homes by 2028, according to the Bank of Spain
- Average rental price
- €1,176, equivalent to about 98.7% of a young person’s average monthly salary, according to the Youth Council of Spain
Quotes
Valeria Racu
Spokesperson for the Tenants’ Union
“We cannot ignore the fact that housing is where most of our wages go. What is the point of raising the minimum wage if housing costs are rising three, four or five times faster?”
theprint.in
Sources
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