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Workers across Spain gathered en mass on Wednesday, marching and setting up picket lines despite stormy weather in many areas of the country.
This is the first general strike in Spain in 14 years, amid a worsening cost of living and lack of housing crisis that has left many unable to support themselves.
Symbolized by the eviction and death of 87-year-old Maricarmen Abascal in Madrid earlier this year, the crisis has also prompted a snap election set for November 29.
The government of left-wing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez attempted to pass legislation to ease the plight of renters, but was blocked in parliament by opposition parties. Lacking the power to get legislation passed, Sanchez called the early vote in hopes to shore up more support.
“We won’t stop until we transform this country’s housing model from top to bottom so that houses are for living instead of being at the service of the [landlord] minority,” said Alicia del Rio, spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants’ Union.
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How bad is Spain’s housing crisis?
The country has a deficit of about 750,000 homes, which is set to grow to more than a million by 2028 according to estimates from the central bank.
With fewer and fewer individuals and families able to buy a home, the number of renters in the country has risen sharply. According to Spain’s youth council, the average rent is €1,176 ($1,315). This is equivalent to 99% of the average young person’s salary.
While most of the protests appeared to be proceeding peacefully, strikers in front of Madrid’s Mercamadrid wholesale market said that police had fire pepper spray at the crowd, prompting at least 13 people to seek medical attention.
The general strike comes a day after rail workers launched a strike over two major deadly train crashes this year, making decrepit infrastructure also a major topic in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
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