The Tenants' Union of Madrid has reiterated this Thursday that the general strike for housing called for next November 11 constitutes a "blow from all of society against a rentier system."
In a meeting with media, the spokespeople of the collective have detailed that the call for the strike seeks to confront the rentier system and all the governmental institutions that, they claim, act in the service of rentism while it "appropriates the lives of citizens."
They have also emphasized that the call is "unitary" and of "popular character," which is why they consider it the heritage of the entire citizenry, with the unions remaining as a tool at the service of that broad movement.
The organization maintains that putting an end to the commodification of housing and turning it into a public good, and not into an asset subjected to market logic, is a significant goal that cannot be achieved solely through the struggle for the right to housing. In their view, a collective response that includes other fronts, such as the defense and expansion of public services, is essential.
In this regard, they warn that it would not be enough to obtain improvements in housing policy if, at the same time, other social movements experience setbacks in their respective fields of action.
For the Tenants' Union, the general strike not only aims to promote its program of structural reforms in housing matters but also poses as a response to the current social and political context.
Another of the central purposes is to extend grassroots unionism to sectors that, according to their spokespeople, were barely organized in this area, such as youth and the migrant population, with the idea of strengthening their capacity to face "a new cycle of popular power."
They have recalled that the initiative began to take shape more than a year ago, with the intention of articulating a state-wide mobilization in coordination with labor unions and various social organizations.
In view of the strike day, the union has explained that it is working with three axes: a pedagogical purpose, an appealing purpose to encourage citizens to get involved in the construction of the strike, and a programmatic purpose focused on clearly disseminating the demands that support the call.
In this framework, they have launched the website "huelgoporlavivienda.org", where updated real-time information is offered about all the activities promoted by the union in preparation for the general strike.