News · · 8 min read
Spain's General Strike over Housing on 11 November 2026: Who Has Called It, Minimum Services and Your Rights
Spain's general strike over housing on 11 November 2026 has been called for 24 hours across the whole country. As of 20 October 2026, we explain who has called it and when it was registered, what the organisers are demanding, what rights you have if you are an employee, who sets the minimum services and how it may affect transport, schools, healthcare and paperwork.
A 24-hour general strike has been called across Spain for Wednesday 11 November 2026, with housing and wages as its main reasons. It is the first nationwide general strike jointly backed by CCOO (Comisiones Obreras) and UGT (Unión General de Trabajadores), Spain's two largest trade unions, since November 2012, and other unions and the Confederación de Sindicatos de Inquilinas (Confederation of Tenants' Unions) are also among the organisers.
Here we bring together what is known as of 20 October 2026, with sources. This is a practical guide: we take no view on the strike or its demands; we simply explain what changes that day and what is worth planning for.
What we know about the 11 November strike
| Aspect | What is known as of 20 October | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Date and length | Wednesday 11 November 2026, 24 hours | Euronews, EFE |
| Scope | The whole of Spain; Basque unions have also registered their own call | EFE, Orain |
| Registration of the national call | 19 October 2026, at the Ministry of Labour | El Salto |
| Minimum services | Not yet published; each competent authority will set them | Infobae, El Pespunte |
| Employers' position | CEOE, Spain's main employers' confederation, has announced it will challenge the strike because it considers it unlawful | Empleojob |
Source dates: Euronews (7/10/2026, updated 13/10/2026), EFE in Diario de León (7/10/2026), Orain (13/10/2026), El Salto and Empleojob (19/10/2026), Infobae (8/10/2026) and El Pespunte (7/10/2026).
Who has called it and when it was registered
The date was announced on 7 October; according to the news agency EFE, it was proposed by the Confederación de Sindicatos de Inquilinas and the large unions joined in. The national call was registered on Monday 19 October at the Ministry of Labour, signed by the Confederación de Sindicatos de Inquilinas, CCOO, UGT, CGT, CNT, the Unión de Actores y Actrices (actors' union), Co.Bas and Intersindical. Europa Press also lists Acción Social de Solidaridad Obrera among the organisers.
The Basque unions ELA, LAB, ESK, Steilas, Etxalde and Hiru registered it together with the Red de Sindicatos de Vivienda de Euskal Herria and the Sindicato Socialista de Vivienda (two housing groups), and in Galicia the CIG union has joined. CSIF and USO are not taking part. The employers' confederation CEOE has announced it will challenge the strike because it considers it does not comply with the law; the organisers maintain that it is lawful. If it reaches the courts, the courts will decide.
What the organisers are demanding
Each organisation puts the emphasis on different things. These are their main demands according to the organisers themselves, reported as they put them:
- CCOO and UGT: pay rises of between 4% and 7% in collective agreements, at least 7% more on the minimum wage, a return to collective bargaining and shorter working hours. On housing, more public housing, rent limits in zonas tensionadas (areas officially declared under housing stress) and restrictions on tourist and seasonal lets.
- Confederación de Sindicatos de Inquilinas: open-ended rental contracts, a 50% cut in rents and the expropriation of homes held by investment funds.
- Other demands reported by Europa Press: an end to evictions, a tax on large fortunes to fund public housing and, in CGT's case, better wages and pensions.
- Basque unions: housing guaranteed as a right "on the same level as healthcare and education", a halt to evictions and lower prices.
CEOE and Cepyme (the small and medium-sized business association) argue that these demands should be addressed mainly to public authorities, not to companies. The unions reply that housing costs affect workers directly.
Your rights if you are an employee
Workers' right to strike in defence of their interests is recognised.
Spanish Constitution, article 28.2
The Constitution adds that the law must guarantee the community's essential services. The rule that governs this right is still Real Decreto-ley 17/1977 (Royal Decree-Law 17/1977) on labour relations. This is what it says, together with the points made in the employment guides published for this strike:
- You do not have to tell your employer. The strike notice is given in writing by the workers' representatives and the organisers, to employers and to the labour authority (article 3), and your employer cannot require you to confirm in advance whether you will strike.
- The legal notice period is five calendar days, or ten if public services are affected (articles 3 and 4). The registration on 19 October comfortably meets it.
- Your contract does not end: it is suspended that day and you remain registered with Seguridad Social (Spanish social security) under a special status, with neither you nor your employer paying contributions (article 6).
- Your employer cannot replace you with people from outside the workforce (article 6.5) or dismiss or penalise you for striking; a dismissal for that reason can be declared void.
- If you do not want to strike, you have the right to work (article 6.4). If you are assigned to minimum services, you must turn up.
During the strike the employment contract shall be deemed suspended and the worker shall not be entitled to wages.
Royal Decree-Law 17/1977, article 6.2
In practice, you are not paid for the strike day. According to Infobae's guide, the employer may deduct the proportional part of that day's base salary, supplements and bonuses; the share of the pagas extra (Spain's extra salary payments) is deducted when they are paid, and holidays already approved cannot be cut. If you were already on sick leave (incapacidad temporal) before 11 November, you stay on sick leave and nothing is deducted.
Minimum services: who sets them and when they will be known
As of 20 October 2026 they have not been published. Royal Decree-Law 17/1977 allows the government authority to ensure that public services keep running (article 10), and in practice each administration sets the minimum services through specific resolutions for each service and area: the central Government for the services it runs and the comunidades autónomas (regional governments) for theirs, such as education or healthcare. Each company or public body then designates who must cover them. They will be known before 11 November; until then, any percentage circulating for trains or buses is an estimate, not official data.
How it may affect transport, schools, healthcare and paperwork
| Service | What is known as of 20 October | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Transport (train, bus, metro, air) | Will run with the minimum services set by each authority; there may be fewer services than usual | Check the minimum services and each operator's notices |
| Schools | Education authorities set the minimum services; a school can open without normal lessons. In Andalusia there is also a public education strike that day | Watch for messages from the school |
| Healthcare | There will be minimum services for essential care and emergencies; scheduled appointments may be affected | Confirm appointments with your health centre or hospital |
| Notaries, land registries and public offices | No official information; it will be known from each administration's minimum services and each office's notices | Confirm any appointment or signing a few days before and, if possible, do the paperwork online |
Sources: Royal Decree-Law 17/1977 (BOE, Spain's official gazette), Infobae (8/10/2026) and El Pespunte (7/10/2026). The "What to do" column contains practical suggestions, not official information.
If you are renting, signing or moving on 11 November
The strike does not change contracts: payment dates and key handovers stay as agreed unless the parties agree otherwise. What may change is the logistics:
- If you have a signing at a notaría (notary's office) that day, confirm it a few days before and ask whether the office will be working normally.
- If you are signing a rental contract or collecting keys, agree a time and a plan B with the other party in case transport is running minimum services.
- If you are moving home, confirm that the removal company will be working and bear the demonstrations in mind. In Barcelona, for example, the main march has been called for 17:30 at the Jardinets de Gràcia.
- If you work, check whether your job is covered by minimum services once they are published.
The background: what the rental data say
The organisers put housing costs at the centre of the strike. Leaving aside each side's position, these are the latest figures on how much it costs to rent and how much it weighs on households:
| Indicator | Figure | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average rent in Spain (asking prices) | €15.1/m² a month (+5.6% year on year) | September 2026 | idealista |
| Average rent in the city of Madrid | €23.4/m² a month (+4.8% year on year) | September 2026 | idealista |
| Rise in rents: new contracts / existing contracts | +8.8% / +2.8% (+3.5% overall) | 2024 | INE (IPVA, the official rental price index) |
| IRAV, index for rent updates / general CPI | 2.54% / 4.9% | September 2026 | INE |
| Share of net income renting households spend on rent | 26.7% on average (31.6% in Madrid) | 2024 | Banco de España |
| Non-owner households spending more than 30% of their income on rent | 32.5% | 2024 | Banco de España |
Sources: idealista (1/10/2026); INE, Spain's national statistics institute (IPVA, 11/5/2026; IRAV and CPI, 14/10/2026, via idealista/news); Banco de España (Annual Report 2025, June 2026, via OCU, the Spanish consumers' organisation). idealista measures asking prices; the IPVA, declared rents.
Read together, the figures explain why rent weighs so differently from one household to another. In many existing contracts, the annual increase is linked to indices such as the IRAV. People looking for a flat, on the other hand, pay market prices: in 2024, new contracts rose more than three times as fast as existing ones. The city-by-city detail is in our article on rental prices in 2026.
How we do it at Llavely
At Llavely we take no view on the strike; our job is to make finding a home simpler. Llavely is renting the other way round: tenants create their verified profile once, with their identity and income checked (if anything doesn’t add up, a member of our team reviews it), and it is landlords and agencies who invite them to view their property. It is free for tenants, landlords and agencies, with every feature; for tenants, it is always free.
Rentals are already open in the provinces of Madrid and Barcelona: if you are looking for a flat, create your profile for free; if you are a landlord or an agency, list your property for free. In the rest of Spain there is a waiting list: sign up with your areas and we will email you when we open there. And if you want to sell a property in the Comunidad de Madrid (Madrid region), you can already do so with us for 2.5% + VAT, only if it sells, and ask for your free valuation (we reply in English).
Frequently asked questions
When is the general strike over housing and how long does it last?
It has been called for Wednesday 11 November 2026, for 24 hours and across the whole of Spain. The national call was registered on 19 October 2026 at the Ministerio de Trabajo (Ministry of Labour).
Who has called the 11 November strike?
It was registered by the Confederación de Sindicatos de Inquilinas (Confederation of Tenants' Unions), CCOO, UGT, CGT, CNT, the Unión de Actores y Actrices, Co.Bas and Intersindical. Europa Press also lists Acción Social de Solidaridad Obrera, and Basque unions such as ELA and LAB and the Galician CIG have joined. CSIF and USO are not taking part.
Do I have to tell my employer if I am going on strike?
No. Under Royal Decree-Law 17/1977, the strike notice is given by the workers' representatives and the organisers to the employer and the labour authority. Your employer cannot require you to confirm in advance whether you will strike either. If you have been assigned to minimum services, you must turn up.
How much will be deducted from my pay for a strike day?
You are not paid for the strike day: the employer may deduct the proportional part of that day's base salary, supplements and bonuses, and the share of the pagas extra (extra salary payments) is deducted when they are paid. Holidays already approved cannot be cut. The exact amount depends on your payslip.
Can I be dismissed or penalised for going on strike?
No. Striking does not end the contract, which is only suspended that day, and your employer cannot penalise or dismiss you for exercising this fundamental right. A dismissal for that reason can be declared void by the courts. Nor can the employer hire outside staff to replace those on strike.
Who sets the minimum services and when will they be known?
Each competent administration sets them through resolutions for each service and area: the central Government for the services it runs and the regional governments for theirs, such as education or healthcare. As of 20 October 2026 they had not been published; they will be known before 11 November.
Will there be public transport, schools and doctors on 11 November?
There will be minimum services, but there may be fewer transport services, lessons that do not run normally and scheduled appointments affected. A school can open even if some teachers are on strike. The details will be known when each administration publishes its minimum services.
Will notaries, land registries and public offices be open?
As of 20 October 2026 there is no official information. In public offices it will depend on each administration's minimum services, and in notaries and land registries, on each office's notices. If you have a signing or an appointment that day, confirm it a few days before and keep an alternative date in mind.
Sources
- Spain faces a general strike over the housing crisis on 11 November (Euronews, 7 October 2026, updated 13 October 2026)
- Unions call a general strike on 11 November (Europa Press on elDerecho.com, 7 October 2026)
- Unions call the general strike over housing for 11 November (Artículo 14, 7 October 2026)
- UGT confirms the general strike will be on 11 November (EFE in Diario de León, 7 October 2026)
- Abertzale (Basque left-wing) unions register the 11 November general strike together with housing unions (Orain/EITB, 13 October 2026)
- 11N: a general strike to raise wages, lower prices and demand access to decent housing (UGT Servicios Públicos, 13 October 2026)
- Tenants' and labour unions register the 11 November strike over housing and wages (El Salto, 19 October 2026)
- Unions register the 11 November general strike and CEOE announces it will challenge it (Empleojob, 19 October 2026)
- Guide to the 11 November general strike: workers' rights, notice to the employer and pay deductions (Infobae, 8 October 2026)
- Royal Decree-Law 17/1977 of 4 March on labour relations (BOE, Spain's official gazette)
- Spanish Constitution, consolidated text (BOE)
- Will schools be open on 11 November because of the general strike? What we know (El Pespunte, 7 October 2026)
- Rents rise 5.6% year on year in September but fall over the last quarter (idealista/news, 1 October 2026)
- Rent renewals freeze with CPI at 4.9% and the IRAV at a record 2.54% in September (idealista/news, 14 October 2026)
- Housing Rental Price Index (IPVA), 2024 (INE, 11 May 2026)
- Banco de España report on housing (OCU, 23 June 2026)