Spain is preparing for a new general strike on Wednesday, November 11, 2026, a day of mobilization that will have as its main demands access to decent housing, wage increases, and improved working conditions. The call, initially promoted by the tenants' movement and later backed by the main trade union organizations, aims to bring workplace matters into the sphere of labor the discontent over the rising cost of living.
The strike will last 24 hours and will extend throughout the national territory, with the possibility that workers from private companies, public employees, and professionals from different economic sectors will take part. The unions formally registered the call with the Ministry of Labor on October 19, under the slogan "Wages, housing, and prices".
Who calls the general strike of November 11
The call is backed by Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), the General Union of Workers (UGT), the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) and the National Confederation of Labor (CNT), together with other trade union and social organizations.
Among the groups that also participate are Co.Bas, Intersindical, Solidaridad Obrera, the Union of Actors and Actresses and the Confederation of Tenants' Unions. The mobilization also has the support of different territorial organizations and movements linked to the right to housing.
The initiative arose in a context of protests over the difficulties of access to housing, intensified after the parliamentary rejection of several measures promoted by the Government. Subsequently, CCOO and UGT decided to join the call to incorporate demands related to wages, collective bargaining, and the reduction of the working day.
The general secretary of UGT, Pepe Álvarez, and his counterpart at CCOO, Unai Sordo, have defended that the mobilization responds to problems that directly affect the living conditions of workers, especially when an important part of their income must be allocated to rent or to the mortgage.
How long the general strike lasts and what time it begins
The general strike of November 11 will have a duration of 24 hours, from 00:00 to 24:00 on Wednesday. However, there are particularities for companies that operate through work shifts.
In those centers that have multiple shifts, the strike may begin with the first of them, even if it starts before midnight on the 11th. Likewise, it may continue until the end of the last shift corresponding to that day, even if it ends during Thursday, November 12.
The call is nationwide and affects both the public and private sectors, although services considered essential must maintain the minimum levels established by the competent authorities. These services may include health activities, public transport, emergencies, and other areas necessary to guarantee the fundamental rights of citizens.
Therefore, the strike does not necessarily imply the complete shutdown of all public services, since its operation will depend on the minimum services set and the level of support the call receives in each sector.
Why the general strike of November 11 is being called
The main reason for the mobilization is the housing access crisis and the loss of workers' purchasing power. The unions consider that the rise in rents and in the prices of essential goods is making it difficult for numerous households to meet their expenses with current wages.
Among the main demands of the calling organizations, the following stand out:
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Raising wages: CCOO and UGT are calling for general wage increases of between 4% and 7%, as well as an increase in the minimum interprofessional wage of at least 7% in 2027.
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Access to housing: measures to contain rental prices, expand the public and protected housing stock, and strengthen protection against evictions.
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Reduction of the workday: progress to reduce working time and promote work-life balance, although the calling organizations are proposing different objectives.
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Collective bargaining: unblock talks with employers to update collective agreements and improve wage conditions.
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Social protection: strengthen public pensions, improve occupational risk prevention, and combat precarious employment.
One of the central elements of the protest is the relationship between wages and housing. The callers maintain that having a job no longer guarantees being able to afford the cost of housing, especially in large cities and in areas where rental prices have seen the greatest increases.
Is it mandatory to notify the company to go on strike?
Workers who decide to support the call are not obliged to notify their company in advance that they will participate in the strike. The right is recognized in article 28.2 of the Spanish Constitution and protects those who choose to suspend their work activity during a lawful call.
The company also cannot sanction or dismiss an employee for legitimately exercising this right. However, participating in a strike has economic consequences, since the worker stops receiving the salary corresponding to the time they remain on strike. The deduction may also proportionally affect certain supplements and extra pay.
Likewise, those who have been legitimately designated to cover minimum services must fulfill the corresponding obligations, without prejudice to the fact that they may challenge that designation when appropriate.
The controversy over the general strike at the gates of the elections
The call has also generated disagreements between unions and business organizations because of its coincidence with the electoral calendar. The strike will take place two days before the start of the campaign for the general elections on November 29, a circumstance that has prompted criticism over its possible political component.
The president of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE), Antonio Garamendi, initially questioned the call, considering that the demands on housing did not justify a labor strike, and announced his intention to challenge it in court. However, the employers' association ultimately renounced filing the appeal on October 22, although it maintained its criticism of the mobilization.
For their part, CCOO and UGT have rejected that it is a partisan call and have defended that the demands are related to the economic and labor interests of workers.
The strike on November 11 will be the first state-wide general strike jointly backed by CCOO and UGT since 2012. In addition to the stoppages in workplaces, the calling organizations are preparing demonstrations in different Spanish cities to make visible the demands on housing, wages, and labor conditions.