The key facts
- Portuguese and Spanish unions are discussing an 'Iberian general strike' on November 11
- The decision to join rests with the Portuguese unions, Unai Sordo said
- The strike in Spain is scheduled 18 days before the snap elections called by Pedro Sánchez
Talks on a Joint Strike
Portuguese and Spanish trade unions are holding contacts regarding a possible 'Iberian general strike'. This was announced on Thursday, October 22, by the Secretary General of the Spanish trade union confederation CCOO (Comisiones Obreras), Unai Sordo, in an interview with the 'Los Desayunos' program of the RTVE television channel and the EFE agency. According to him, the Portuguese unions are considering the possibility of holding a general strike on November 11 — the same day when a similar action is already scheduled in Spain with the participation of the country's two largest confederations, CCOO and UGT (the General Union of Workers).
The Decision Rests with the Portuguese Side
Sordo emphasized that the implementation of the idea of a joint strike depends on the decision of the Portuguese trade union organizations. 'It is precisely the Portuguese who will have to decide whether we will, in the end, unite in an all-Iberian mobilization, which would also go down in history,' Euronews quotes him as saying. As a joke, he added that if the strike in Portugal takes place, it could be called 'the Saramago strike' — in honor of the only Portuguese winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, who lived for almost two decades on Lanzarote and was closely connected with the progressive movements of his time.
The Political Context in Spain
The general strike on November 11 in Spain, according to Euronews, has been considered a done deal for several weeks now: it is scheduled 18 days before the snap elections, which were called by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez after parliament rejected the government's package of measures to overcome the housing crisis.
Protests and Demands
In both countries, numerous actions in defense of the right to housing and against the rising cost of living have been taking place recently. Inspired by the protests that began at the end of September on Madrid's Puerta del Sol square, thousands of people camped for several nights in the centers of Portuguese cities, including Porto and Lisbon. The demands in both countries coincide: demonstrators are seeking decent housing at affordable prices, noting that even having a job no longer guarantees the ability to rent an apartment in large cities.
