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Housing costs drive Spain's general strike, BBC reports

Tenants' union spokesperson Carme Arcarazo says the pressure on household budgets also makes the walkout a protest against Pedro Sánchez's government.

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BBC News Story of November 12, 2026Trari Newsroom

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Spain sees widespread disruption in first general strike for 14 years | BBC News

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0:00The BBC reports widespread disruption during Spain's first general strike in 14 years.
0:12Footage from Bilbao, Barcelona and Madrid shows marches, roadblocks and confrontations with police.
1:34The presenter links public outcry to Mari Carmen Abascal's eviction and subsequent death.
2:01Arcarazo says rising housing and food costs have outpaced wages, prompting demands for lower prices and higher incomes.
4:07Arcarazo urges an election focus on living costs and criticises Sánchez's housing policy record.

Transport and public services across Spain faced serious disruption on Wednesday as unions called a general strike over housing and the cost of living, BBC News reports. The broadcaster describes it as the country's first general strike for 14 years.

Its footage shows large demonstrations in Bilbao, roadblocks and flares in Barcelona, and confrontations between riot police and demonstrators in Madrid. According to the report, the interior ministry said dozens of people were arrested.

Beyond the street scenes, the BBC interviews Carme Arcarazo, an urban political economist and spokesperson for the tenants' union Sindicat de Llogateres. She says housing and food prices have risen sharply while wages have stagnated, leaving people working simply to cover basic needs.

"This makes no sense. It makes no sense to work exclusively to survive," Arcarazo says. She describes the strike's demands as lower prices and higher salaries and pensions.

The presenter identifies the eviction and subsequent death of an elderly woman, Mari Carmen Abascal, as a trigger for public outcry. Arcarazo says the story resonated because tenants fear losing their homes when investment funds buy their buildings.

With a snap parliamentary election approaching, Arcarazo argues that living costs should be central to the campaign. Her criticism is not confined to the government's opponents: she challenges Sánchez's housing record and says the strike is partly directed against him too.

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