The Tenants' Union pressures for a general strike

MadridThe Tenants' Union has been flirting for days with the idea of a general strike in the face of the housing emergency. In fact, after the two decrees of the Spanish government fell this Friday, this has been the first proclamation: "Towards the general strike!" It is also the slogan under which they have called for demonstrations across the State for this weekend. But they are not the only ones. The proposal is also on the table of CCOO and the UGT, which are holding talks with the movement for the right to housing to assess the option of a stoppage, as confirmed by different union sources consulted by ARA. "It has not been said no to the scenario of a general strike. It is open," the same sources indicate.

"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 Tenants' Union of Madrid, Alicia del Río, this Friday from the doors of Congress. In Barcelona, indignation has also erupted: "Let's stop everything," said the spokesperson for the Union, Enric Aragonès, who stated that he had negotiated with the leader of Junts, Carles Puigdemont, in Waterloo.

Caution at CCOO and the UGT

However, CCOO and the UGT, the majority unions, are showing caution, especially regarding what Pedro Sánchez might decide in the coming hours or days: whether or not he calls for early general elections. In fact, CCOO and the UGT have publicly issued a joint statement calling for "social mobilization." 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, which has not done enough? Against the right to overturn the decrees? Against the PP autonomous communities that have been blocking the state housing law for a long time?", ask the same sources, who reiterate the need to carefully measure and assess a stoppage of these characteristics, especially regarding its ultimate goal. They believe that if there are elections in Spain, 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.

In parallel, there is also caution regarding the atmosphere in the streets of the big cities and also outside of them. Madrid, Barcelona, or even Seville have been bringing together thousands of people for days in demonstrations and rallies –the encampment at the Puerta del Sol stands out–; 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 rent prices. This social pulse, especially in the coming days, is a compass for the majority unions. What they are clear about, in fact, is that social pressure and an increase in tension in the streets are essential when assessing the next steps, especially in the short term.

Who can call a general strike?

If a general strike is called, it would be the first call of these characteristics that Pedro Sánchez would experience since he arrived at the Moncloa in 2018. Not even in a context of sky-high prices, with an inflation rate that soared after the war in Ukraine, have CCOO and the UGT considered such a 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. In Catalonia, a general strike was also called in October 2017 against the police repression of October 1st.

In the State, the call for a general strike corresponds to the workers, although it is common for their representatives or trade union organizations to be the ones calling it. The general strike proposed by the Tenants' Union puts housing and rental prices in the spotlight. Since this crisis affects the population's purchasing power, purchasing capacity, or the questioning of current salaries, it could be a goldmine in the socio-labor sphere and CCOO and the UGT could support it.