General strike grips Spain, marked by clashes and widespread disruption

Approximately 1000 protesters gathered at Mercamadrid, a major food market, where tensions were high. CCOO Madrid reported on social media that police deployed pepper spray against picket lines.

Early indicators suggest a high level of participation in the strike. CCOO and the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT) jointly stated they were seeing “extensive participation” in initial shifts, with projections for further increases throughout the day across various sectors and regions.

According to data from CCOO and UGT, adherence to the strike reached 90% in ports, particularly in Valencia and Algeciras, and in the automotive sector, where “total stoppages” were reported at plants like Volkswagen Navarra and SEAT Barcelona. Adhesion rates were also high in the meat processing industry (85%), waste collection (82%), and energy sector (75%), while the sociosanitary sector saw 38% participation (with minimum services guaranteed) and the postal sector 35.04%.

In Catalonia, the strike began with fireworks launched from 28 points in Barcelona, organized by the Sindicat de Llogateres. Spokesperson Enric Aragonès described the action as “the first general strike for housing in history.”

Night shifts have halted production at factories including SEAT in Martorell, Ficosa in Viladecavalls, Grifols in Parets, Nestlé in Girona, Repsol Fuels in La Pobla de Mafumet, and Mercabarna, disrupting freight transport and container terminals at the Barcelona port.

In Andalusia, CCOO Seville hailed the strike’s start as a “success” following picket lines at Mercasevilla alongside UGT. Provincial Secretary Carlos Aristu stated that workers were not entering night shifts at major factories and that trucks arriving at the central market were turning back, with only empty trucks entering.

In Extremadura, pickets from CCOO, UGT, the ‘25 de marzo’ union, and housing platforms marched near workplaces in Cáceres, Badajoz, and Mérida. Police prevented access to cleaning depot and Día workers.

In Valencia and Castilla-La Mancha, the Confederación General del Trabajo (CGT) established picket lines at Mercavalencia and transport depots. In Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, at least 244 drivers were mobilized to maintain minimum bus services.

Nighttime protests extended to waste treatment plants in Albacete and Ciudad Real, industrial parks in Azuqueca de Henares (Guadalajara), Stellantis and Plaza in Zaragoza, and Murcia.

The strike follows reports on Tuesday from Alquiler Seguro of vandalism at 27 of its locations in Madrid, Barcelona, A Coruña, Vitoria, Oviedo, and Bilbao, which they attributed to tenant groups.

In Galicia, the Confederación Intersindical Galega (CIG) reported widespread participation in the strike across industry and urban services. The automotive sector in Vigo and O Porriño was nearly completely halted, with limited presence at plants like BorgWarner Zamáns. Activity at Navantia in Ferrol was also stopped, as were operations at Zara warehouse, Cofano, and Pescanova Chapela. The union also denounced what it described as a “disproportionate” police action, including identification of striking workers at Ecolugo in Lugo.