A strike on the "offensive". This is how the general secretary of Comissions Obreres de Catalunya, Belén López, defined the general strike scheduled for November 11th this Thursday, the first 24-hour strike in 14 years. "It is an opportunity for trade unionism to change its stride," assured the leader of the Principality's majority union in a meeting with journalists, adding that "the era of reaching agreements has ended, unfortunately."

The platform Ens Costa la Vida, the Tenants' Union (Sindicat de Llogateres), and the Trade Union Table of Catalonia –a coordination space that brings together various alternative unions such as the CGT– have announced that the main demonstration for the 24-hour strike for housing and wages on November 11th will take place at Jardinets de Gràcia, in Barcelona, at 5:30 PM. As union sources explain, before the announcement, the proposal had not been previously conveyed to the major unions, although, according to them, CCOO has already decided to call for a demonstration at the same location, and everything suggests that the UGT will decide the same.

November 11th. This is the date agreed upon by the unions to call a general strike for the right to housing, wages, and the cost of living throughout the State, the first since 2012 –if one does not take into account the 2025 strike for Palestine, which was called by minority unions–. In Catalonia, it will be the second in the same period of time, after the one called in October 2017 against the police repression of October 1st.

It has rained a lot these days, and guess which service went down this morning: Rodalies. Obviously, when I say that Rodalies is not working, I mean that even what usually functions is not working. The rains caused a slope to collapse, and the train drivers' union refused to work today for safety reasons. And since the Government, Renfe, and Adif fail every day to inform passengers, this morning thousands of users found themselves without trains and, in many cases, without a reinforcement bus service. All the screens at Sants said was that there was no service "due to external causes" (which were the train drivers).

There will be a general strike over the housing crisis before the Spanish elections on November 29. The majority unions, CCOO and UGT, are supporting the stoppage demanded for days by the Tenants' Union, which this Sunday already had the support of the CGT union, as ARA has learned from sources familiar with the talks. CCOO and UGT, the two unions with the largest presence in companies, had until now been cautious and were waiting for the decision that Pedro Sánchez would make: whether or not to call early elections. However, the pressure on them has grown steadily, especially after this weekend's mobilizations throughout the State with thousands of people taking to the streets. After a final meeting this Monday afternoon, the majority unions have ended up deciding to support the proposal, as they reported in a joint statement.

The 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.

Road 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.