11N general strike: how it will affect work, teleworking, and transport for three days

As of November 4, 2026, the negotiation of minimum services for the general strike on the 11th is not closed. There is no record of a global agreement and conversations are taking place by sectors and administrations. In rail transport, the final percentages are still unknown, while in the Community of Madrid the talks have deteriorated due to disagreements over the proposal and the documentation provided.

Transport: union proposal, but no definitive minimums

CCOO and UGT have presented the Ministry of Transport with a proposal based on the precedents of the general strikes of 2010 and 2012. According to published information, they propose approximately 30% of the Cercanías service, 35% during peak hours, and 20% on AVE and long-distance trains. These are percentages proposed by the unions, not an approved train offer. The unions had also requested a meeting with Minister Óscar Puente, with no public response recorded to that request (transport proposal; meeting request).

The most recent information from Demócrata, published on November 4, confirms that the final percentages are still unknown. Therefore, it is not yet possible to determine how many trains will run or the extent of cancellations in Cercanías, medium distance, and long distance.

The main point of disagreement is what level of activity must be guaranteed. UGT maintains that minimums must ensure essential services, not maintain normal transport operations or neutralize the effect of the strike. This is the position expressed by its sectoral head in this statement on minimums.

Madrid: disagreement and breakdown of dialogue

In the Community of Madrid, UGT and CCOO denounce that the Administration presented its proposal without providing the necessary documentation to examine it. They question both the transparency and proportionality of the criteria, including those related to health and education, and have announced they will not sign the meeting minutes. This is the union assessment, not a judicial ruling declaring those services abusive (UGT and CCOO statement).

CNT, for its part, ended its dialogue after not receiving the promised documentation nor a new call from the Ministry. This announcement, disseminated on October 30, affects its participation in the talks: it does not mean there is an agreement nor that the entire regional negotiation has concluded (CNT position).

What remains to be decided

The next relevant milestone is the publication of decisions by the competent administrations and their specification by services. The absence of agreement does not prevent minimums from being set: authorities can establish them by resolution or order after hearing the parties. Unions can challenge them if they consider they disproportionately restrict the right to strike, as outlined in this guide on the call.

Additionally, it is important to separate the general strike on November 11 from the Semaf railway mobilizations on the 10th and 12th, which respond to their own demands. The coincidence may prolong travel difficulties for three days but does not imply that they will have identical minimums. In conclusion: there are proposals and disagreements, but no definitive offer of guaranteed services yet.

The Ministry of Transport can set minimum services during railway strikes affecting services under state jurisdiction. Its role is to guarantee indispensable services for the community, not to maintain the usual operation of the railway or neutralize the right to strike. This public decision must be distinguished from its operational execution, which corresponds to railway companies and administrators.

1. Basis and scope of the competence

Article 28.2 of the Constitution recognizes the right to strike and requires guaranteeing the maintenance of essential services. Article 10 of the Royal Decree-Law 17/1977 allows the governmental authority to agree on necessary measures to ensure its operation and the Government to adopt appropriate intervention measures.

Therefore, Transport acts as a sectoral governmental authority, not simply as a labor authority or as responsible for public companies. It is not necessary for each minimum service resolution to pass through the Council of Ministers: it can be approved by the competent ministerial body, provided it has the corresponding attribution and governmental responsibility.

This last requirement is relevant: the Resolution of December 11, 2007 noted that several railway decisions had been annulled because they were issued by an administrative body without governmental powers. The State Secretariat then assumed its resolution by avocation, i.e., assuming a competence attributed to a subordinate body.

2. What the Ministry can determine

• Indispensable services: identify which circulations, connections, and functions must be maintained and what essential needs justify protecting them.
• Service level: specify trains, frequencies, or percentages, differentiating lines, time slots, territory, and duration of strikes. There is no single percentage automatically applicable to any strike.
• Essential resources: determine personnel needs and circulation, safety, control, and maintenance functions necessary to execute the protected services.
• Information and supervision: collect technical data from operators and infrastructure administrators and supervise compliance with the resolution within its powers.

3. Limits that must be respected

The decision requires specific motivation and proportionality. It must explain the rights and needs protected and justify the chosen level considering the duration and extent of the strike, expected demand, peak hours, and available alternatives. The STC 43/1990 demands a reasonable proportion between sacrifices imposed on strikers and users.

Transport cannot simply accept the employer's proposal. The STC 27/1989 censured precisely that the authority left the effective determination of minimums in the hands of the employer. The resolution can be challenged before the contentious-administrative jurisdiction.

4. What corresponds to other authorities and companies

The ministerial competence does not automatically extend to all railways. According to STC 31/2010, the state or regional authority with competence and political responsibility over the service decides. The mere territorial location of a line does not by itself resolve this distribution.

Renfe, Adif, and other operators provide technical information and execute the minimums: they organize shifts, assign resources, and designate workers according to the resolution. They cannot replace the authority in deciding how much service is protected. Likewise, setting minimums does not grant the Ministry a general power to sanction workers labor-wise: administrative supervision and corresponding labor responsibilities must be separated.

SEMAF won the March 2023 union elections of the Renfe Group and obtained five of the fifteen seats on its General Works Committee. In the combined count of Renfe, Adif, and Adif Alta Velocidad, the consulted results attribute approximately 162 delegates and 18.2% representation, behind CCOO and UGT. These are the latest consolidated national results found, although they do not correspond to a single election for the entire railway sector.

In Renfe: leading union organization

The main result for SEMAF was its victory in the Renfe Group. The union announced on March 7, 2023, that it had increased its representation and achieved a result it called historic. The distribution of the fifteen seats on the General Works Committee was as follows:

• SEMAF: five representatives.
• CCOO: four representatives.
• UGT: three representatives.
• CGT: two representatives.
• Railway Union: one representative.

Therefore, SEMAF was the organization with the most seats on that body but did not obtain an absolute majority: five out of fifteen is one-third of its members. The result can be consulted in the SEMAF bulletin and in its statement on the results.

It is important to distinguish these figures: the five seats correspond to the General Committee, not the total delegates elected at workplaces. Nor do they mean SEMAF received one-third of all votes. These are different measures of representation and should not be interchanged.

In Renfe and Adif combined: third position

Aggregating the processes of Renfe Group, Adif, and Adif Alta Velocidad, the consulted 2023 distribution sums 891 delegates:

• CCOO: 230 delegates, 25.8%.
• UGT: 216 delegates, 24.2%.
• SEMAF: 162 delegates, 18.2%.
• CGT: 128 delegates, 14.4%.
• Railway Union: 65 delegates, 7.3%.
• Railway Traffic Union: 55 delegates, 6.2%.
• Other organizations: 35 delegates, 3.9%.

These figures should be read as a consolidation of different electoral processes: publications do not always offer the same separation between companies. The percentages describe the weight over delegates, not necessarily over votes. The union reference used is the CCOO electoral balance.

The difference between both headlines is important: SEMAF won in Renfe; CCOO led the combined Renfe and Adif. In Adif and Adif Alta Velocidad, CCOO obtained 132 delegates, UGT 124, and CGT 73. The consulted information does not break down a specific figure for SEMAF in those two companies.

Evolution and other railway areas

As a comparison, in the March 2019 elections SEMAF had obtained 140 delegates and 15.8% in the combined Renfe, Adif, and Adif Alta Velocidad. Compared to that result, the 2023 balance represents approximately 22 more delegates and a 2.4 percentage point increase. The previous result is recorded in the 2019 electoral information.

Outside those companies, in Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana, SEMAF obtained three of the 35 representatives elected in 2023. UGT achieved fourteen; SI, eight; CCOO, six; and Railway Union, four, according to the FGV electoral result. This process is independent: it does not allow automatically transferring SEMAF's leadership in Renfe to all private, regional, or metropolitan railway companies.