The Tenants’ Union of Madrid has described as “pathetic” the proposal by the president of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, to call off the general strike of November 11 over the railway tragedy of Urda (Toledo), accusing the opposition leader of “using a tragedy to try to call off the strike”
In an interview with DEMÓCRATA, Alicia del Río, co-spokesperson of the organization, has criticized that Feijóo refers to the incident, which caused at least 69 deaths following a collision between two high-speed trains, when the mobilization promoted by the union seeks, among other issues, to defend public services precisely.
🔴 Alicia del Río, portavoz del Sindicato de Inquilinas (@InquilinatoMad), sobre las palabras de Feijóo acerca de la huelga general del 11N: "Es absolutamente patético". El líder del PP ha considerado "incomprensible" mantener una movilización contra la oposición después de 69 fallecimientos y ha advertido del daño que supondría para la credibilidad sindical. 🗣️ La portavoz, en exclusiva para Demócrata, ha reaccionado a estas palabras acusando al líder del PP de utilizar una tragedia para intentar tirar la huelga. 📲 Todos los detalles en Demócrata: https://t.co/BOu20kBhnr
— demócrata (@democrata_info) November 3, 2026
"It is totally pathetic because it is evident that the general strike is also about public services, about the right to housing, to raise pensions and wages, and to increase funding for public services," the spokesperson has said, linking these demands to the deterioration of living conditions for the working class.
Del Río believes that Feijóo's request reflects the interests of business organizations and has pointed directly to the CEOE president, Antonio Garamendi, and to the real-estate employers' association, "that they are the ones who want to bring down the strike because it is going to cause them economic harm": "They are afraid of the strike and that is why they take the opportunity to try to delegitimize it."
"Chronic underfunding" of rail services
The representative of the Tenants' Union has questioned that the rail accident in Urda be used as an argument to suspend a mobilization which, as she has defended, also calls for greater investment in infrastructure and public services.
"What sense is there in saying that we should call it off because of a tragedy that happened precisely because of that?" Del Río has asked, who has attributed the incident to a 'chronic underfunding' of the rail system and has said that the unions in the sector themselves have been denouncing this situation. "How can it be that more trains pass along a track and that this is not reinforced?" she added.
Feijóo, "totally aligned" with Garamendi
The co-spokesperson of the union has blamed both the PP and the PSOE and Sumar Government for the deterioration of public services and has interpreted Feijóo's position as a sign of his closeness to business interests.
Del Río understands Feijóo's words that "he is totally aligned with the real-estate employers' association and is very good friends with Mr. Garamendi", before insisting that business organizations want to avoid a strike which, in her view, could cause them economic losses.
A strike for housing, wages, and pensions
For Del Río, the demands of the general strike cannot be separated from the situation in the housing market or from the loss of purchasing power of households. The co-spokesperson has called for more investment to expand the public housing stock and has defended the expropriation of properties belonging to investment funds, which she has referred to as "vulture funds".
In his opinion, housing, pensions, wages and financing demands for public services are part of the same conflict between the needs of the population and the economic interests of a minority. "This general strike is a battle of life against profit, and life is a right to housing, pensions, wages and public services", he has summed up.