MADRID: Four million Spanish workers took part in a general strike on Wednesday, unions said, enduring stormy weather to set up picket lines in a protest against the country’s housing affordability crisis less than three weeks before a snap general election.
It is the first general strike since workers downed tools in 2012 against austerity measures during the eurozone debt crisis. The walk-out is backed by Spain’s two largest unions, UGT and CCOO, representing more than a million workers, as well as tenants’ associations angry about rising rents and evictions.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hopes to harness voter resentment over housing in the Nov 29 election to shift the political narrative away from corruption cases involving his inner circle and a deadly train crash last month. So far, his SocialistParty still trails in opinion polls.
Unions described the strike as a success even though participation was uneven across Spain, with the strongest supportin coastalregions where housing pressures have been particularly acute.
Shops shuttered On Madrid’s Gran Via, one of the capital’s main shopping streets, protesters cheered as stores including Primark, H&M and Pull & Bear drew their shutters amid a heavy riot police presence. ‘We’re going to close the Mango store,’ the protesters chanted as theyjangled sets of house keys above their heads.
Many shops in Barcelona were also closed andboarded upin anticipation of unrest. Spain has a deficit of about 750,000 homes, which is set to grow to more than a million by 2028, according to the central bank.
With fewer people able to afford a home, renting has increased sharply, putting pressure on that market.
The average rental price of $1,315 is equivalent to about 98.7pc of a young person’s average monthly salary in Spain, according to the Youth Council of Spain.-Reuters