The union Comisiones Obreras is calling for decent housing to become a central issue in Spain’s election manifestos. The union’s representative responsible for housing issues in Asturias, Ana Belén García Losada, made the demand in connection with the general strike on 11 November, according to the Europa Press news agency. She spoke ahead of a planned demonstration in Oviedo.
Alongside housing, García Losada cited other concerns of the strikers: wages must make up for the loss of purchasing power caused by inflation. She also called for better conditions in the public sector and progress on stalled Collective bargaining. The campaign for decent housing would continue after the strike, the trade unionist said.
According to Europa Press, García Losada estimated participation in the work stoppage in Asturias at around 70 per cent. This is a union estimate, not an independently confirmed overall figure. She also said the union had mobilised workers in sectors including industry, education, healthcare and food retail.
The general strike was called nationwide by, among others, Comisiones Obreras and the Unión General de Trabajadoras trade union. The organisations linked the demand for access to housing with calls for higher wages, shorter working hours and better working conditions. Tenants’ organisations are also supporting the mobilisation.
The strike comes in the run-up to Spain’s Parliamentary election. Under the election decree published in the Official State Gazette, the Congress of Deputies and the Senate will be newly elected on 29 November. The official election campaign begins on 13 November, two days after the strike.
In Asturias, regional union leaders had already urged people to take part ahead of the day of action. They argued that housing costs were eating into workers’ incomes. A demonstration was scheduled for 11 November in Oviedo. Another rally, organised by a tenants’ organisation, was also held in the city.
The strike announcement also drew criticism: Spain’s employers’ association called it political and said it was not justified under labour law. The unions, by contrast, pointed to the link between wages and access to housing.
Editor: Phillipe Schmidt-Araguin (Article created with AI assistance).