The general strike next Wednesday, November 11, 2026, called by CCOO, UGT and other labor organizations to demand salary improvements and solutions to the housing crisis, raises several doubts among workers. One of the main ones has to do with how much money they will lose on their paycheck if they decide to take part in the 24-hour stoppage and what obligations their companies may require of them.
Spanish legislation recognizes the right to strike in article 28.2 of the Constitution and establishes that its exercise cannot be grounds for sanction or dismissal. However, participating in a legal call implies the temporary suspension of the employment contract, so the company is under no obligation to pay the hours or days that the employee remains on strike. This salary reduction does not constitute a penalty, but rather a consequence provided for in labor regulations.
How much money is deducted from your paycheck for going on strike on November 11
The deduction for taking part in the November 11 strike does not necessarily equal one day’s wages. According to regulations and labor case law, companies may deduct the remuneration corresponding to the day not worked, the proportional part of the weekly rest period and the amount corresponding to extra pay bonuses.
For example, a worker who receives 1,800 euros gross per month would have a salary equivalent to 60 euros per calendar day if their monthly pay is divided by 30. However, the final deduction could exceed that amount by including the corresponding proportion of the weekly rest period and, where applicable, extra pay bonuses. The exact amount will depend on the collective bargaining agreement, the distribution of the working day and the items that make up the payroll.
In general terms, deductions may affect the following items:
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Base salary: the amount corresponding to the hours or day of work not performed.
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Salary supplements: the bonuses linked to actual work, according to their accrual conditions.
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Weekly rest: the proportional part of the paid rest days corresponding to the strike period.
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Extra pay bonuses: the proportion that ceased to be generated during the suspension of the contract.
On the other hand, the company cannot deduct vacation days or reduce the worker’s seniority for participating in a legal strike. Nor can it impose an additional financial penalty for the fact of exercising this fundamental right.
What happens with the Christmas bonus if you go on strike
One of the lesser-known consequences of participating in a strike is its possible impact on extra pay. Workers who receive 14 annual payments may notice a small reduction in the Christmas bonus or in the one corresponding to the affected accrual period, even if the stoppage took place months earlier.
This happens because extra payments accrue progressively over a given period. Since the contract is suspended during the strike, that time does not generate the corresponding part of these remunerations.
However, the company cannot bring forward the deduction of an extra payment that it has not yet paid. The reduction must be applied when it is due to be paid, while workers who have their payments prorated may see the proportional part reflected in the payroll for the month of the strike. In any case, the same item cannot be deducted twice.
Do I have to notify my boss if I am going on strike on 11N?
No. Workers are not obliged to inform their company in advance that they are going to join the general strike on November 11. The decision is individual and may be made even on the same day of the call, without needing to request authorization or provide justification.
This protection applies both to workers affiliated with a union and to those who do not belong to any trade union organization. Nor is it necessary to explain the personal reasons for deciding to take part in the stoppage.
The company may adopt organizational measures to face the consequences of the strike, but it cannot require its employees to confirm in advance whether they will attend work. Questions aimed at identifying those who intend to join the stoppage, especially when accompanied by warnings or pressure, may violate the fundamental right to strike.
Once the day has taken place, the company may indeed check which workers have participated, using the legally established attendance-control and time-recording mechanisms, with the aim of correctly applying salary deductions.
What your company can require of you during the general strike
Although the right to strike is constitutionally protected, its exercise does not eliminate all labor obligations. Companies may require compliance with certain measures necessary to guarantee the safety of facilities or the maintenance of essential services, always within legal limits.
In sectors such as healthcare, transportation, and other services essential to the community, the competent authorities may establish minimum services. Workers who have been legally designated to cover them must report to their posts, although they may challenge the designation when they consider that it is not in accordance with the law.
However, a company cannot set minimum services on its own simply to prevent its activity from being harmed by the strike. Their establishment must respond to the guarantees legally provided to protect essential services.
The company also cannot hire outside workers to replace those who exercise their right to strike, except for legal exceptions, nor reorganize staff with the aim of neutralizing its effects through internal substitutions contrary to that right.
Can you be fired or sanctioned for participating in the November 11 strike?
Article 6 of Royal Decree-Law 17/1977 establishes that the exercise of the right to strike does not terminate the employment relationship nor can it give rise to sanctions, unless the worker engages during the mobilization in conduct constituting a labor offense.
Therefore, a company cannot fire an employee for legitimately participating in the stoppage, reduce their working hours as retaliation, modify their working conditions to punish them, or harm their professional opportunities for having supported the call.
In the event of dismissal motivated by the exercise of the fundamental right to strike, the company decision may be declared null and void, which would entail the reinstatement of the worker and the payment of the corresponding back pay.
This protection also extends to employees who participate in legal union activities linked to the call. However, the right to strike does not protect violent conduct, threats, or coercion against coworkers who decide to continue working.
What happens with Social Security and vacations during the strike
During the time that a worker remains on a legal strike, their contract is suspended, but their link with the company does not disappear. In this period, they remain in a special registered status in Social Security and the obligation to contribute is suspended both for the employee and for the employer, under the terms established by the regulations.
Participation in a strike also does not generate the right to receive unemployment benefit during the hours or days of stoppage. By contrast, if a person was already on medical leave before the call and does not participate in it, they maintain their temporary incapacity status and the benefits corresponding to them.
As for vacations, going on strike on November 11 does not allow the company to reduce annual rest days or deduct their pay. The same protection applies to seniority and other labor rights that cannot be harmed by the legitimate exercise of the strike.
In this way, workers who decide to join the November 11 stoppage must bear the corresponding economic deduction for the time not worked, but they will retain the labor guarantees recognized by legislation. Any deduction greater than that legally provided for or any employer retaliation may be subject to a claim before the competent bodies.