Yolanda Díaz called this Friday on the workforces and works councils throughout Spain to support the general strike on Wednesday, November 11. The second vice-president and Minister of Labor defended the strike to demand better wages, affordable housing, and public services, and asked that this mobilization become a "wave of hope" that also makes itself felt at the polls on 29N.
At the closing of a conference by the General Union of Workers (UGT) on artificial intelligence, Díaz vindicated the decision of those who give up a day's salary to improve their living conditions. "Long live the general strike called by the unions of my country!" she exclaimed. The minister defended the political scope of the protest and called the doubts about its legality that have been raised in some discussions "delirious."
The call, registered by UGT, Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and other trade union and tenant organizations, foresees a 24-hour strike in the public and private sectors. Its promoters demand measures to curb real estate speculation, expand the public housing stock, and unblock salary negotiations. The unions have maintained the call despite the fact that the president of the Popular Party (PP), Alberto Núñez Feijóo, asked them to call it off after the Urda railway accident.
Díaz pressures employers over wages
The minister reproached the Spanish Confederation of Business Organizations (CEOE) for, in her opinion, blocking the Agreement for Employment and Collective Bargaining, which serves as a reference for negotiating wages in collective agreements. Díaz put the combined profit of Ibex 35 companies in the first half at 36,473 million euros and contrasted this figure with the rising cost of living. The advance indicator from the National Institute of Statistics places October inflation at 4.9% year-on-year.
Díaz has committed to approving before the end of the year the increase in the interprofessional minimum wage (SMI) for 2027. The Labor draft sets an increase of 5.3%, up to 1,286 gross euros per month in 14 payments, 65 euros more than now. CCOO and UGT value the increase, although they maintain their demand for 7% and ask for guarantees that the increase will reach payrolls in full.
From the 11N strike to the 29N polls
Díaz has asked the unions to fully commit to the strike without campaigning and has encouraged workers to defend their rights also with their vote. She cited the victory of Lula da Silva in Brazil and Donald Trump's setback in the US legislative elections. She also recalled that in Spain, in 2023, progressive forces managed to gather enough support to govern again despite adverse forecasts. "We need to win on 29N with hope," she said.
The vice president has highlighted the evolution of employment during her time at the Ministry of Labor. Spain closed the third quarter with 22.85 million employed people, 465,500 more than a year earlier, according to the Active Population Survey. Díaz, who is not running in the general elections, acknowledged that she regrets leaving the dismissal reform and the review of part-time contracts pending, and said that she will continue working "to prevent barbarism from reaching La Moncloa".
