Spain's unions halt work for 24 hours over housing costs
CCOO and UGT have not called a strike together since 2012. This one comes 18 days before a general election, and the unions report strong turnout.
Spain stopped work on Wednesday. The country's two largest unions, CCOO and UGT, backed by CGT, CNT and other groups, called a 24-hour general strike over housing and wages. It is the first nationwide strike the two have backed together since 2012.
The unions' joint tally puts turnout at:
- 41% in Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura, the lowest.
- More than 80% in Catalonia and Andalusia, the highest.
- 75% in logistics around Illescas and Guadalajara.
Heavy industry, carmaking, petrochemicals and meatpacking saw the deepest stoppages. The figures are preliminary and come from the organizers: education, public administration, offices and retail are still missing.
The unions also say electricity consumption fell by more than 10%.
The worst clashes were in Madrid. The unions allege disproportionate use of force and pepper spray against pickets, count more than a dozen injured and say their lawyers will review video of the incidents. They report two arrests, one at Mercamadrid and one of a metalworkers' delegate in Zamudio, in Vizcaya. The Interior Ministry, with its own count, logged 26 arrests and 476 incidents nationwide by midmorning.
The organizers also call minimum-service orders "abusive", especially those set by regional governments. In the Madrid region, the unions say, the high court struck down those ordered for education, justice and transport. The national government set its own for energy, fuel, the postal service and private security, in orders published in the official gazette on Nov. 7, including one on electricity supply.
There is no official turnout figure and no independent count yet.
The strike was registered on Oct. 19 under the slogan "Wages, housing and prices." It follows housing protests in September and October, and Congress voted down two government housing decrees on Oct. 2. The smaller unions CSIF and USO stayed out. Employers' groups CEOE and Cepyme criticized the call because of how close it falls to the vote. The organizers argue that getting a home now takes more than half of average income.
For Mexico, Spain is home to thousands of Mexican nationals and a destination for Mexican investment, and the strike is a gauge of the public mood before voters go to the polls.
Spain holds its snap general election on Nov. 29, with parliament already dissolved.
