The general secretary of UGT, Pepe Álvarez, has called for a massive turnout in the general strike convened for next 11 November, in protest at the rising cost of housing, fuel and food. “There is no agreement that can withstand the rise in housing,” he emphasized, also calling for a State pact on housing that includes a minimum public investment commitment of 1% of GDP over a decade.
During his remarks to the media, on the occasion of the assembly of UGT Asturias delegates and members, Álvarez said that the union’s expectations for the strike are very high. He described the call as a “citizens’ initiative” in the face of the growing difficulty of making ends meet due to the generalized increase in the cost of living. The phrase “I can’t make ends meet,” he stressed, is already “a reality that millions of families in Spain are experiencing.”
The union leader highlighted that the strike has “shaken up” the political class and pointed out that it is a “non-classical” mobilization, whose objective is for all public administrations to fully assume their responsibilities in areas such as housing, public services and care for people.
Likewise, Álvarez reiterated his rejection of reopening the negotiation of the pension agreement signed in 2021 with the employers’ association and the Government, and he defended that the management of sick leave should continue to be in the hands of Primary Care, without transferring it to mutual insurance companies.
BIG BANNERS ON 11N
The general secretary of UGT in Asturias, Javier Fernández Lanero, has said that 11 November “is going to be a great day of general strike” and a day of “struggle.” “We are going to go with big banners, with big signs for decent housing, because it affects everyone and everyone is very worried,” he stressed.
Lanero added that the date will represent a “turning point,” with a “clear message to companies and to the political class.” “We are not going to take a step back in rights and freedoms,” he concluded.