The general housing strike now has a date. It will be on Wednesday, November 11, and will last 24 hours, as agreed this Wednesday by the Confederation of Tenants' Unions, CCOO, UGT, CGT, Solidaridad Obrera, and Co.Bas. The call brings to workplaces a protest that began after the eviction of Maricarmen Abascal and has filled squares and streets in different cities.
The agreement was announced on a particularly painful night for those who promoted those mobilizations. Maricarmen died this Wednesday at the age of 87, after remaining hospitalized since she was evicted on September 23 from the Madrid house where she had lived for seven decades. Her family, her lawyer, and the Tenants' Union have lamented that the agreement reached for her to return came too late.
At the presentation of the strike in Barcelona, UGT leader Camil Ros wanted to dedicate the mobilization to her. "It's for her," he said. Carme Arcarazo, spokesperson for the Sindicat de Llogateres, emotionally added that they will fight and win for Maricarmen. From the Tenants' Union, Alicia del Río recalled that the woman joyfully received the proposal for a general strike. The movement holds the eviction and years of pressure on her home responsible for the deterioration she suffered, a complaint that has gained even more strength after her death.
From rent to workplaces
The organizers want 11N to serve to demand affordable housing and rents, wage increases, and measures against speculation. CCOO and UGT argue that the salary of many workers is no longer enough to pay for a house and cover other expenses. That is why they also call for unblocking collective bargaining, reducing working hours, and recovering purchasing power.
The Tenants' Union proposes, among other measures, indefinite rental contracts, a reduction in prices, and more public housing. Its spokespersons ask that the pressure reach all administrations with housing competencies. The conflict reaches the general strike after Congress rejected the government's two housing decrees last week, a vote that accelerated the mobilizations.
The call also has the backing of territorial organizations such as the Galician CIG and the Basque unions ELA and LAB. It will be the first 24-hour general strike supported by CCOO and UGT since 2012. The employers' association CEOE has questioned its legal fit, considering that its demands are far from the labor sphere; the unions respond that housing prices directly affect wages and living conditions of workers.
A strike before the polls
The strike will be held 18 days before the general elections on November 29 and two days before the start of the campaign. The date was proposed by the Tenants' Union and agreed this Wednesday with the trade union organizations. Its promoters want housing to occupy the center of the electoral debate, although they direct their demands both to the current Government and to the administrations that emerge from the polls.
While the call was being finalized, hundreds of people left the Puerta del Sol encampment towards Congress to bid farewell to Maricarmen. There they lit candles and observed a minute of silence. Afterwards, the cry that had accompanied the march was heard again: "Maricarmen lives, the struggle continues".
