Spain housing crisis: CCOO and UGT prepare 24-hour general strike

09:55

Spain is heading toward a nationwide labour mobilisation over the worsening cost of housing, after the country’s two largest trade unions agreed to call a 24-hour general strike this autumn.

The Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) announced the decision on October 5, linking the planned stoppage to growing pressure over rents, housing affordability and wage levels. The exact date has yet to be determined and must be coordinated with social organisations and the Tenants’ Union.

Housing moves into the centre of labour demands

The planned strike marks an important expansion of Spain’s housing protests, bringing the issue directly into the workplace. CCOO and UGT argue that access to housing can no longer be considered separately from employment conditions, particularly when wages fail to keep pace with housing and living costs.

Their message centres on the need for salaries that allow workers to afford decent housing. The unions are also seeking progress in collective bargaining, including the renewal of employment agreements and the resolution of stalled negotiations between employers and workers.

The announcement follows a weekend of large demonstrations across Spain, where housing campaigners called for stronger tenant protections and greater public intervention in the rental market. Tens of thousands of people took part in protests in dozens of cities, increasing pressure on political institutions to address affordability.

Failed housing measures intensify pressure

The unions’ decision came days after Spain’s Congress rejected two government-backed housing decrees. The parliamentary defeat prompted CCOO and UGT to seek closer coordination with tenants’ groups, neighbourhood organisations and other social movements.

The two unions are advocating a broader housing strategy that includes expanding the stock of permanently protected public housing, limiting rental prices and ensuring that Spain’s housing legislation is effectively implemented across the country.

Their proposals also connect housing policy with collective wage negotiations. The unions have previously supported salary increases of between 4% and 7% within the framework of the sixth national employment and collective bargaining agreement, alongside measures intended to make housing more accessible to workers.

Tenants’ movement seeks wider mobilisation

The Tenants’ Union has been pushing for a nationwide workers’ mobilisation and is expected to coordinate with the two major unions as the strike timetable is developed. The CGT has also expressed support for the broader mobilisation, potentially widening the coalition behind the protest.

CCOO and UGT say the final decision on the date will be taken in consultation with the organisations involved. The move therefore represents not only a trade-union action but an attempt to connect workplace negotiations with the wider social campaign over housing.

A dispute extending beyond rent prices

For the unions, the housing debate is also a question of purchasing power. They are calling on employers to recognise housing costs when negotiating wages and on public authorities to strengthen the supply of affordable homes.

The proposed strike comes as housing has become one of Spain’s most prominent sources of social tension, particularly in major urban areas where rents have risen sharply and younger workers increasingly struggle to establish independent households. Recent demonstrations have demonstrated the breadth of the issue, while the rejection of housing legislation has further intensified calls for action.

The planned 24-hour stoppage will now depend on the formal approval of the unions’ governing bodies and on negotiations with the organisations involved in the housing movement. Until then, Spain’s labour and tenants’ movements are preparing for what could become one of the country’s most significant nationwide protests centred on housing in recent years.