Cuts in the Zona Franca, the Ronda Litoral, and the AP-7: the general strike for Palestine begins

BarcelonaRoad closures, pickets at universities, and disruptions to commuter trains. The general strike called this Wednesday in support of the Palestinian people and against the genocide in Gaza has already had several effects early this morning. More than 100 people blocked access to the Zona Franca and Mercabarna in Barcelona on Wednesday morning as part of the solidarity strike for Palestine and headed toward the port. The protesters, carrying a banner reading "We stop the genocide" and shouting "general strike," also blocked the Ronda Litoral at Montjuïc in both directions.

Another demonstration blocked the A-2 in Sant Vicenç dels Horts heading south. Protesters also blocked several lanes of the AP-7 between Llinars del Vallès and Roca del Vallès for a while, and only one lane in each direction was open. This has caused queues of up to five kilometers between Llinars del Vallès and Cardedeu, heading south; and between Roca del Vallès and Llinars del Vallès, heading north.

The first pickets mobilized early in the morning at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, ​​where they blocked access to the Bellaterra campus. More than a hundred people set up barricades with containers and furniture at the main road and train access points, as well as at the entrances to the faculties, with the aim of halting university activity throughout the day. At the University of Barcelona (UB), for example, evaluable activities have been suspended in all faculties.

The strike has been registered by the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), Solidaridad Obrera, IAC, Intersindical-CSC, and COS, along with various pro-Palestinian groups. For their part, the UGT and CCOO have called a partial two-hour work stoppage per shift. Seat workers held a strike during last night's shift.

The strike is for 24 hours, but is also being combined with partial strikes and mobilizations throughout Spain. The Student Union has joined the strike, holding demonstrations in more than 40 Spanish cities. Among the cities planned for these are Barcelona (Plaza Universidad), Madrid (Atocha), Valencia (Faculty of Geography and History), and Seville (Plaza Nueva). In the Catalan capital, the joint demonstration will depart from Sants station at 6:00 p.m.

Disruption of commuter trains

In response to the strike, the Generalitat (Catalan regional government) has established minimum services for urban and intercity transport. The Cercanías and Regional de Catalunya (Renfe) trains will operate at 66% capacity throughout the day, as will the Metro, TMB buses, Ferrocarriles de la Generalitat (FGC), and Tram, as well as all other urban and intercity services, including the Barcelona-airport bus.

So far, up to 7:30 a.m., Renfe has already had to cancel more than a dozen trains, especially on the R1, R2Sud, and R3 lines, and significant delays have occurred on the R4 and R8 lines due to the strike. In some cases, the operator admitted in the morning that there had been breaches of the minimum service.

Minimum services in healthcare and education

Minimum services have also been established for other essential services, ranging from emergencies to healthcare and social services. In emergency and special units (ICU, emergency departments, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, dialysis), service will be normal, as will cleaning and catering in high-risk areas, emergency medical transport and essential treatments, and on-call pharmacies.

Regarding education, there will be one member of the management team per center; two teachers for every four units in early childhood and primary education; one teacher for every three units in secondary education; 50% of the staff in special education and daycare centers, and in cafeterias and complementary activities. In social services, service will be equivalent to a public holiday in homes for the elderly and people with disabilities, with 85% in telecare, among others.