The Union of Associations of Self-Employed Workers and Entrepreneurs (Uatae) has called on all self-employed professionals to support the general strike scheduled for this Wednesday, November 11, in protest at the rising cost of living and the growing obstacles to accessing housing and sustaining their economic activity. At the same time, the organization acknowledges that for many self-employed workers, stopping work for just one day means giving up income that is essential.
For this reason, Uatae encourages self-employed workers to join the protests "in line with the possibilities of each person," preventing the ability to close the business from becoming a benchmark of commitment to the demands put forward.
The organization emphasizes that self-employed workers are part of the working class and share the same problems, since the rise in rents, utilities, and basic expenses hits particularly hard those who work for themselves, whose homes and businesses in many cases depend on a single source of income.
According to an internal survey by Uatae, 43% of self-employed workers spend between a quarter and half of their monthly income on paying the rent for their premises, while 47% identify this outlay as the main cost of their professional activity.
"We know there are self-employed workers who tomorrow will not be able to close; we cannot ask them to make a sacrifice that their finances do not allow, but precisely for that reason this strike is important, because nobody should be forced to choose between defending their rights and being able to pay their bills," said Uatae’s Secretary General, María José Landaburu.
Under the slogan 'Same rights, reclaim the streets,' the organization calls for a political response that addresses jointly the problem of access to housing, the protection of local commerce, and the equalization of rights between self-employed and wage workers.
Among the measures proposed by Uatae are the expansion of the public housing stock, the regulation of tourist apartments, the defense of retail premises against speculation, and the rollout of direct aid to be able to cover their rents.
It also proposes reforming the cessation of activity benefit to ensure that it is truly accessible, extending the subsidy for those over 52 years old to the Special Scheme for Self-Employed Workers (RETA), implementing fairer taxation adjusted to real income, creating a specific social shield for self-employed workers in situations of vulnerability, and approving effective measures against late payment.
Landaburu has stressed that the mobilization "does not pit those who have a small business against those who work for others," but rather recalls that they share "neighborhoods, concerns, and a future that cannot be conditioned by speculation."
Finally, Uatae urges those who can afford it to pull down the shutters and attend the demonstrations, while asking those who must keep their activity going to show their support through other means. "Tomorrow there will be shutters pulled down and others that will have to remain open. The important thing is that behind all of them there is a single demand: to be able to work, to live, and to make ends meet with dignity," it has concluded.