Madrid, Spain — Protesters shook house keys above their heads on Madrid’s Gran Vía as shops pulled down their shutters on Wednesday. The sound made the point of Spain’s November 11 general strike: people were walking off the job because they say their pay is no longer enough to cover rising rents and everyday costs.
On Thursday, Spain’s standing parliamentary committee voted 35–34 to keep a package of housing measures in force. It rejected a separate decree that would have made automatic lease renewals open-ended. The votes came a day after the walkout and less than three weeks before the November 29 snap election.
Why unions and renters marched together
Spain’s two largest unions, UGT and CCOO, backed the 24-hour stoppage, the country’s first general strike since 2012. Tenants’ groups joined them, calling for more public housing, stronger protections against eviction and lower rents. For the unions, wages and housing costs were part of the same dispute: a pay rise goes only so far if the rent rises with it.
The Associated Press reported that authorities counted about 120,000 marchers in Madrid, where people turned out despite heavy rain. In Barcelona, organizers put the crowd at 400,000; city officials estimated 55,000. Those figures describe street turnout, which is distinct from how many people stopped work.
Reuters reported that unions estimated four million workers took part. Employer associations reported far lower participation. Much of the day was peaceful, though police and some protesters clashed in Madrid and Barcelona.
🌧️ Ni la lluvia torrencial ha conseguido parar la movilización.
— CCOO de Madrid (@CCOOMadrid) November 11, 2026
RTVE reports on the clashes that followed the housing marches in Madrid and Barcelona.
What lawmakers kept in place
The decree that survived Thursday’s vote extends eviction protections through 2030 for vulnerable tenants who have no alternative housing. RTVE reported that the package also includes temporary limits on certain rent increases. The package also provides for a temporary extension of eligible leases. The separate measure on open-ended renewals failed by a single vote.
The earlier rejection of housing decrees helped trigger the snap election. Thursday’s vote keeps some protections in place, but their future remains in play: the opposition Popular Party has pledged to repeal the package if it takes power and says it would focus on building more homes.
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