Spain's first general strike in 14 years hits travel and shops as housing anger meets a Nov. 29 election

Spain's two biggest unions, UGT and CCOO, called a 24-hour general strike for Wednesday, November 11, the first of its kind in 14 years. CNBC reported that millions of workers are expected to take part, that demonstrators clashed with police at a wholesale market in Madrid in the early hours, and that roadblocks were reported. The walkout is expected to disrupt public transport and flights and to shut some shops and factories.

What the strike is about

The slogan is "Salaries. Housing. Prices." CNBC says rents have almost doubled in a decade and cites the Bank of Spain's estimate of a shortage of 750,000 homes, possibly 1 million within two years. Housing activists want an end to tourist rentals and automatic lease renewals; the unions want more state intervention in housing and a new minimum-wage agreement.

The vote is close: the strike lands less than three weeks before the November 29 snap election Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called after parliament blocked his tenant-protection package (we covered that in our October 5 report). The Popular Party and Vox oppose housing intervention and call it an "election strike." A El Pais/Cadena SER poll taken Nov. 2-4 gave the two parties a combined 190 seats against the 176 needed for a majority, per CNBC.

The number we do not have: how many flights run

Spain makes essential services keep running during strikes, and the Transport Ministry sets "minimum services" for flights. AeroCorner reported that as of November 7 the ministry had published no resolution for this strike. We did not find one in this run either, and we have no airline cancellation list, so we are not stating how many flights were cancelled today.

For scale, AeroCorner's account of the last full-day strike by both unions, on November 14, 2012, citing Hosteltur: minimum services guaranteed 10% of mainland domestic flights, and Iberia cancelled 171 flights, Vueling 152 and Air Nostrum 150. The ministry's approach has since changed, and in the October 2025 strike it protected 58% to 76% of international and long domestic flights at the big airports. Those are past strikes, not a forecast for today.

What it means for travelers and businesses

• Travelers: check your airline and Renfe before leaving for the airport. Under EU Regulation 261/2004 an airline must offer a refund or rerouting for a cancelled flight departing Spain. Cash compensation is less certain: AeroCorner notes it is not owed for extraordinary circumstances, and whether a general strike qualifies is unsettled.
• Retailers, restaurants and factories in Spain: some will close for the day, and shift-based workplaces can see the stoppage run into Thursday, AeroCorner notes.
• Importers and exporters: the political risk is more durable than the strike. The euro was about $1.11 on November 11, around 7.5% below its January 28 peak on our chart. A one-day stoppage is not a market event; the November 29 result is.

Watch for the union turnout figures, the government's count of services that ran, and whether the polls move before November 29.

Sources: CNBC; AeroCorner (published Nov. 7, before the strike). Chart data via Yahoo Finance. This is market information, not investment advice.