Video: @ccoocatalunya, @belenlopezccoo / IG

Unions Mobilise for General Strike

On Thursday 22nd October 2026, the General Secretary of Comissions Obreres (CCOO) in Catalonia, Belén López, called for Barcelona to be brought to a standstill as part of a 24-hour general strike set for Wednesday 11th November 2026. The strike, coordinated with UGT, the Tenants’ Union and CGT, marks the first nationwide general strike since 2012, excluding the 2025 Palestine solidarity strike led by minority unions. López stated that "with an average salary, you can't make ends meet" in Barcelona, citing a severe imbalance in wealth redistribution. She highlighted that since 2013, housing purchase prices have risen by 96%, rents by 56%, while salaries have increased by only 26%.

Demand for Wage and Housing Reforms

CCOO and UGT formally filed strike notices in Barcelona on 20th October with the Department of Enterprise and Labour (Departament d'Empresa i Treball) of the Generalitat. The unions are demanding a state-level agreement on collective bargaining and an interprofessional pact in Catalonia focused on wages, working hours, and living costs including energy, housing, and food. "We want to talk about salaries, working hours, and improving conditions that allow us to cope with the expenses of life," López insisted. She called on employer groups, Spain’s CEOE and Catalonia’s Foment del Treball and PIMEC, to negotiate, warning that workers will not accept rising corporate profits while wages fail to keep pace.

"We are risking our present and how our future labor relations will be,"

Strike Strategy and Broader Mobilisation

The strike will begin on the night of 10th November with the start of night shifts, offering an early indication of participation levels. Unions plan information pickets across workplaces to inform workers of their rights and the rationale behind the strike. A major unitary demonstration is scheduled for the afternoon of 11th November, aiming to unite trade unions, tenants’ associations, and social movements. López stressed that while broad alliances are essential, the strike’s success depends on workplace-level stoppages led by majority unions. The action is seen as the start of a wider mobilisation cycle if demands on wages and housing are not met. The timing places pressure ahead of the 29th November general elections and the 2027 union elections.

  • Strike date: 11 November 2026 (24-hour stoppage)
  • First night shift begins: 10 November 2026
  • Strike notice filed: 20 October 2026 in Barcelona
  • Key demands: salary increases, housing market intervention, price controls on essentials

The meat industry will see extended industrial action, with CCOO and UGT calling for five days of strikes from 9th to 13th November due to stalled negotiations, affecting around 126,000 workers. This includes the 11th, aligning with the general strike.

Sources: Metrópoli Abierta (CA), Ara.