(Photo: El Pais)

Spanish trade unions will stage a general strike for wages, housing, and prices on 11 November 2026, ahead of the general elections. BWI extends its solidarity and supports the demands of its affiliates, CCOO del Hábitat and UGT FICA, which are not only about wages and working conditions, but also about what is left at the end of the month after rent has been paid.

As in other European countries, millions of Spanish workers will take to the streets as they can no longer make ends meet. Indeed, having a job no longer guarantees a decent standard of living. Housing is therefore no longer a peripheral issue. It directly affects workers' purchasing power, their occupational mobility and their living conditions. The political context only adds to the tension.

Among the demands of our Spanish affiliates:

• Affordable and decent housing to stop speculation, regulate the market, and expand social housing
• An increase in wages to regain purchasing power in the face of inflation
• Relaunch collective bargaining
• A fairer distribution of wealth: price controls and ensuring that workers do not bear the brunt of price increases while companies continue to increase their profits.
• Occupational health and safety by applying employers' liability in the event of workplace accidents and ensuring that no worker is forced to work in the event of illness
• Push for an increase in the minimum wage and fight against overtime fraud

 The last union-supported general strike was held in 2012.