A “historic” mass mobilization has, under the rain, taken over the main streets in the center of València in defense of housing and decent wages, as a “wake-up call” to all governments, present and future: “We have reminded all governments, local, regional, state, past, present and future, that we will not allow any right that we have achieved to be stolen from us”.
That is what the general secretary of CCOO PV, Ana García Alcolea, and the general secretary of UGT PV, Tino Calero, expressed to the media, accompanied by representatives of unions such as COS, CGT and CNT, along with housing groups such as the PAH, the Sindicat de Llogateres, the Sindicat de l'Habitatge and Entrebarris, just a few minutes before the march began from the commercial heart of Cap i Casal toward the Plaza del Ayuntamiento.
At the front, a large banner was unfurled with the slogan “Habitatge. Salaris. Serveis Públics. Pensions. 11N Vaga General”. While columns coming from different neighborhoods were converging along the route, a sound crew played protest songs that set the tone for the gathering prior to the start of the demonstration.
As it got underway, at 18:00, the crowd filling Colón street sounded its keys as it passed the main banner, generating a symbolic uproar in defense of the right to a roof over one’s head.
During the route, chants such as “Els carrers seràn sempre nostres” (“The streets will always be ours”); “Vaga, vaga, vaga general” (“Strike, strike, general strike”); “Que visca la lluita de la classe obrera” (“Long live the struggle of the working class”); “Violence is not making ends meet”; “Treball precari, per a l'empresari” (“Precarious work, for the employer”); “El poble unit mai més serà oprimit” (“The united people will never again be oppressed”); “Pels nostres drets i la nostra dignitat, vaga, vaga, vaga, vaga general” (“For our rights and our dignity, strike, strike, strike, strike general”), among others, were shouted.
Among the crowd, posters with messages such as "Fight for what is yours"; "We want to live, not just survive"; "Fear is going to switch sides and the cutlery holders"; "Looking for Article 47 in the Constitution"; "Housing has to be a real right, not a dream"; "Shame" have been seen. Large cardboard keys and a fishing rod with some keys hanging from it have also stood out, while many attendees advanced protected with rain ponchos and umbrellas in the rain. Similar mobilizations have also taken place in Alicante and Castelló de la Plana.
"It’s not going to be the last" day of struggle
In her assessment to the press, Ana García Alcolea said she felt "satisfied" with the general stoppage day and stressed that "not only did all the information pickets go quite well throughout the day, but even now the demonstration is being brutal." She extended her congratulations to the "working class" and to "all of the citizenry" for this day of "struggle," "which, obviously, is not going to be the last." "Until the problems of the working class are solved," she warned.
She recalled that "we have a whole series of demands which, beyond those who want to muddy the waters, are very clear: we want decent wages and for housing to be a right and not a business, so that people can develop their life projects. Therefore, we will keep demanding public services, public and decent pensions, and we will be out in the streets for whatever is necessary so that each government, according to its powers, does what it has to do to improve people’s lives."
In addition, she reproached the employers’ association for putting itself "on the sidelines" and "refusing" to sign collective agreements "when multimillion-dollar profits are being generated." A wealth, she specified, "that we are generating as the working class and that has to be distributed."
The general secretary of UGT PV, Tino Calero, defined as a "nuclear problem" the "difficulties in being able to access housing." He also denounced that wages "no longer do to make it to the end of the month," warned that "a figure of the working poor has been consolidated," and pointed to the "progressive deterioration" of public services.
In this context, he has demanded from all administrations and political parties that they present “serious” and “realistic” proposals to guarantee access to housing and to “confront the employers’ association” so that “we can negotiate collective agreements that improve the wages of workers.” He has emphasized that for the working class “the defense of the public system and pensions” is “essential.” “We are in an election campaign. This strike call is not aimed at anyone, this strike call is what is asking for is that the right to decent housing be an effective right,” he stressed.
Decent wages, decent pensions, and strong public services
Beatriu Cardona, from Intersindical, has described the day as “historic” and has underlined that from citizen movements this 11N “we have reminded all governments, local, regional, state, past, present and future, that we will not allow any right that we have achieved to be stolen from us.” She has also said that they are going to “continue on until our voices are heard and until we can all have a decent wage, decent pensions, and a strong public service.”
From CGT, Juan Ramón Ferrandis has said he is “very happy” about this “turning point.” “It is a struggle for the long term,” he pointed out, and he emphasized that it is “a wake-up call to both the current government and future ones.”
On behalf of CNT, Mar Bueno has reiterated that today’s strike has been “historic” and has highlighted that “the pickets that have been organized in a unified manner throughout the day in the city of València show that this collaboration between combative housing unions and combative labor unions is the formula for solving a serious injustice problem.” She has denounced that “the shopping basket is getting more and more expensive, rents are rising more and more, and, meanwhile, the owners of the homes and those of the companies are getting richer at our expense,” and for that reason she has considered that “it is time to put an end to this injustice.”
Popular strength exceeds expectations
Imma Milán, from the Coordinadora Obrera Sindical, has stated that it is an “absolute pride” for the neighborhoods and the strike committees to have experienced what happened today in València. “Organized popular strength has exceeded the expectations of the institutions,” she added.
The spokesperson of the Sindicat de Llogateres de Valencia, Andrea Leixos, has highlighted that it has been possible to "stop" production, transport, and consumption. "We have to stand by people until rental prices go down and all evictions are halted," she defended.
From the PAH, its spokesperson, José Luis González, has described the walk as a "furious act of protest" that "will say no because they can't continue playing with our lives."
Pablo Fuster, from Entrebarris, has wanted to emphasize that this is not a "partisan" strike, but "a continuation of a process of class-based and grassroots struggle that we want to carry out until housing stops being a business." And he added: "The Government that has been in office these eight years has not solved the strike problem."