Spain's union leaders call for mass marches after strike

UGT and CCOO describe strong workplace participation and press demands on housing, wages and shorter working hours.

Channel: RTVE Noticias ·

SpainStory of November 12, 2026Trari Newsroom

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Huelga general 11N | UGT y CC.OO. valoran como un "éxito" la jornada de paros en España

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0:00Sordo calls the morning stoppages successful, highlighting participation in unionized sectors and urging workers to join street demonstrations.
2:12He presses political parties for housing solutions, including homes at protected prices.
3:19Sordo accuses security forces of using pepper spray and announces plans for legal action.
5:51Álvarez describes broad support for the strike and thanks journalists for covering it.
7:42He proposes constitutional protection preventing public housing from ever being sold.
9:00Álvarez addresses wage bargaining and shorter working hours, later criticizing police treatment of pickets.

Spain's two main union leaders called for workers to carry the November 11 general strike from workplaces into the streets, describing the morning's stoppages as a success ahead of planned demonstrations across the country.

In press-conference footage carried by Spain's public broadcaster, Radiotelevisión Española's RTVE Noticias, CCOO general secretary Unai Sordo said participation had been particularly strong in unionized sectors. UGT general secretary Pepe Álvarez said support had exceeded the unions' own expectations. Those were the organizers' assessments, rather than an independently established national participation count.

The leaders framed the mobilization around affordable housing, sufficient wages and the rising cost of everyday life. Sordo urged political parties to deliver housing solutions, including homes available at protected prices, and said street demonstrations would take over from the workplace stoppages.

Álvarez argued that housing could not continue absorbing such a large share of workers' pay. His proposed safeguard was a constitutional change preventing public housing from ever being sold. He also addressed wage negotiations, the national agreement governing employment and collective bargaining, and the push to reduce working hours.

Questions from journalists brought the discussion to policing. Sordo accused security forces of using pepper spray against pickets and said the union would pursue legal action and seek criminal accountability. Álvarez likewise described the police response as disproportionate. The footage presents their accounts of those incidents.

Both leaders also rejected criticism from right-wing political parties, defending the unions' role and the history of labor mobilization. Álvarez demanded respect for union organizations.

The briefing came before the marches. In separate coverage later that day, the broadcaster reported that thousands demonstrated in Spanish cities despite rain, with disturbances following the marches in Madrid and Barcelona.

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