The Tenants' Union is pressuring for CCOO and UGT to call a general strike

MadridThe Tenants' Union has been flirting for days with the idea of a general strike in the face of the housing problem. But it is not the only one. The proposal is also on the table of CCOO and the UGT, which are holding talks with the housing rights movement to assess the option of a stoppage, as confirmed by different union sources consulted by ARA. "A general strike scenario has not been ruled out. It is open," the same sources indicate. At the same time, they remain cautious, at least at CCOO and the UGT, awaiting what Pedro Sánchez may decide: whether or not to call early state elections depending on the result of this Friday's vote in Congress. For the moment, the two housing decrees are in danger after the no that Junts announced this Thursday, even though the Minister of Housing has offered them to continue negotiating if they are processed as bills.

"We will not stop until we achieve the right to housing, and there is only one way: the general strike," stated the spokesperson for the Madrid Tenants' Union, Alícia del Río, this Friday from the doors of Congress, where dozens of people have gathered to pressure in favor of the decrees. The Tenants' Union of Catalonia is also clearly pushing for a general strike. Its spokesperson, Enric Aragonès, defended this in front of the Junts headquarters. "Let's stop everything," he warned, from all companies to universities and all sectors. At the same time, he commented that Carles Puigdemont's party still has the opportunity to vote in favor of the two decrees. In this sense, Aragonès stated that he had negotiated with the leader of Junts, Carles Puigdemont, in Waterloo in time, but regretted the decision made this Thursday.

One of the issues that makes the major trade unions (CCOO and the UGT) cautious is the difference regarding the atmosphere in the streets of large cities compared to outside of them. Madrid, Barcelona, or even Seville have been gathering thousands of people in the streets for days—most notably the encampment at Puerta del Sol since Saturday—; it is feared, however, that the mobilization will not reach the same levels in other autonomous communities where problems surrounding housing may be different or go beyond rental prices. This pulse in the street, especially in the coming days, when demonstrations are called in different parts of the State, is the compass for the major unions. What they are clear about, in fact, is that social pressure and an increase in tension are essential when assessing the next steps, especially in the short term.

The other major issue, for now speculative, that leads CCOO and the UGT to caution is the calling of state elections if the decrees fall. Union sources acknowledge that a general strike in the middle of an electoral campaign can generate "confusion". "Who is the strike against? Against the [central] government that has not done enough? Against the right for overturning the decrees? Against the PP's autonomous communities that have been blocking the state housing law for some time?", the same sources ask themselves, reiterating the need to measure and assess a call of this nature very carefully, especially regarding its final objective. They believe that if there are elections, the result is what will determine whether or not there is a parliamentary majority in favor of moving forward with housing measures like those being voted on this Friday, or quite the opposite. Then, another scenario would open up.

Who can call a general strike?

It would be the first general strike call that Pedro Sánchez would experience since he arrived at Moncloa in 2018. Not even in a context of skyrocketing prices, with an inflation rate that soared after the war in Ukraine, have CCOO and UGT considered a general strike. Only minority unions called a general strike on October 15, 2025, for Palestine. The last major general strike for socio-labor reasons dates back to November 2012.