‘It’s just too expensive’: Housing and wages at the heart of Spain’s strike

Mass walkout across several cities marks first general strike in 14 years.

Madrid, Spain – In central Madrid, business owners seemed to have taken note of the riots that erupted in Paris last month.

Amid a nationwide strike, many have boarded up their shop windows on Wednesday.

Police are lined up in front of some major department stores. At others, police vans protect the entrances.

This is the first national general strike in Spain in 14 years, and it is all about the lack of affordable housing.

The protesters who have blocked the city’s central Gran Via are angry and frustrated.

The catalyst for the strike was the eviction, in September, of 87-year-old Maria del Carmen Abascal, known as Maricarmen, from her home of seventy years because she could not afford a fivefold increase in her monthly rent of 500 euros ($555).

It exposed a crisis in the lack of affordable housing, particularly in the country’s major cities.

“Housing is a fundamental problem”, Antonio, a teacher, tells us. “It consumes the majority of a working person’s wages. Wages – or rather, the need for wage increases – are another fundamental issue. We are fighting for a combination of things: lower housing costs and higher wages.”

The country’s youth council says that a young person would need to spend 98.7 percent of their monthly salary to rent a place on their own.

Arturo, who is in his mid-30s, says he cannot afford a place of his own. “It’s just too expensive, so I’m living with my parents.

“Once you factor in the cost of food and basic living expenses, you’re left with almost nothing – maybe 100 euros [$110]. And that’s just not … sustainable in the long run.”

Madrid’s teachers have been on strike since the start of term.

Antonio teaches in one of the city’s schools.

“I am deeply concerned about the social rights of my students, their families, and my neighbours,” he says. “I believe that all citizens need to have a social consciousness: if things aren’t going well for everyone, then they can’t go well for any of us. It is absolutely essential that we all stand up and fight for everyone’s rights.”

The Bank of Spain says 750,000 new homes are needed to meet current demand, and that could rise to a million. In 2025, 92,000 homes were built.

The housing crisis could end up costing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez his job.

The snap general election he called will take place on November 29, after his minority government failed to get legislation through parliament that would have given some protections to tenants.

Sanchez’s Socialist Party is trailing in the polls behind the combined support for right-wing and far-right parties.

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