UGT and CCOO have agreed to call a 24-hour general strike this autumn to demand wages that enable workers to cope with the cost of housing. The decision must still be ratified by the highest governing bodies of both trade unions, and a definitive date for the strike has yet to be set.

The unions want to bring the dispute over access to housing into the workplace. They argue that wages are not sufficient to cover housing costs while also coping with inflation.

general strike

One of the recent demonstrations calling for the right to decent and affordable housing. Photo: UGT.

UGT and CCOO had already announced further protests after the Congress of Deputies rejected the two royal decree-laws on housing. Following that parliamentary setback, they announced that they would convene their governing bodies to decide how to bring workers into the protests. Their aim is to join forces with social movements, neighbourhood groups and tenants’ organisations.

When will the general strike take place?

The date of the general strike has not yet been decided. UGT and CCOO have announced that the strike will take place this autumn and will last 24 hours. The final date will be discussed with social organisations and the tenants’ union to coordinate the mobilisation for the right to housing and decent wages.

The strike call comes after demonstrations held last weekend over access to housing. The unions believe these protests have demonstrated the strength of the campaign and are calling for a joint response from the organisations involved.

Wages and housing at the heart of the demands

The proposals from UGT and CCOO also form part of negotiations for the 6th Agreement for Employment and Collective Bargaining (AENC). The unions had proposed wage increases of between 4% and 7%, as well as wage review clauses and measures to facilitate access to housing.

Both organisations are also calling for a social and political pact on the right to housing, a permanent stock of protected public housing, limits on rental prices and effective implementation of the Right to Housing Act across all regions.

The general strike is aimed both at public authorities with responsibility for housing and at employers’ organisations. UGT and CCOO argue that wages must guarantee access to a basic necessity such as housing, and identify the renewal of the AENC and the unblocking of collective agreements as two areas in which progress can be made.

The unions have called on workers to take part in the campaign in workplaces and on the streets and to support the future 24-hour strike. “We will continue with mobilisation and collective bargaining until housing ceases to be a privilege and wages allow people to live with dignity”, they conclude.