Millions Across Spain Join First General Strike in 14 Years Over Housing Costs
Millions of people across Spain joined the country's first general strike in 14 years on 11 November 2026, a nationwide 24-hour stoppage protesting soaring housing prices, according to The Guardian.
The strike was backed by the country's largest unions as well as tenants' associations. Unions reported 90% participation in the automotive and port sectors and 82% in waste collection. Support was strongest in Catalonia and Andalusia, two of Spain's autonomous regions, and many schools and universities were closed or working at minimal capacity.
The disruption was most visible on the roads and in transport. In Barcelona, workers set up roadblocks with burning tyres, and public transport came to a near-standstill. By midday, government officials said 27 people had been arrested over minor strike-related incidents.
The protest centres on the cost of housing. Rents in Spain rose by 80% within a decade, while home prices climbed by 63%, a period in which more properties were used as tourist lets and short-term rentals, meaning homes let to visitors for brief stays. Spanish tenants' unions have demanded limits on evictions of vulnerable people, rent freezes and a crackdown on short-term rentals.
Tensions over the rental market also surfaced before the strike. Granada's tenants' union vandalised about 300 lockboxes belonging to short-term rentals.
On the same day, Spain's state meteorological agency, the national weather service, issued 14 alerts for two storms expected to bring strong winds, rough seas and heavy rain.
