Granada recorded 649 more unemployed people in October than in the previous month, bringing the total to 63,125, according to figures cited by CCOO Granada. The Ministry of Labour figures, reported by Granada Hoy, marked the province’s third consecutive monthly rise. The increase was smaller than September’s 1,259. The same month saw Granada add 3,760 employed people, a 1% increase.
Services accounted for 473 of the additional jobseekers, or 72.8% of the monthly rise. Agriculture added 41 unemployed people and industry 25, while construction recorded a fall of 26. CCOO Granada says the end of seasonal contracts may explain part of the increase. It also points to temporary hiring and gender inequalities as persistent weaknesses in the local labour market.
Against that backdrop, CCOO Granada is calling for a general strike on 11 November. The 24-hour action is part of a national call by CCOO and UGT, joined by other labour organizations. The unions are seeking higher wages and better working conditions, along with less job insecurity. Nationally, they want general wage increases of between 4% and 7%, as well as at least a 7% rise in the interprofessional minimum wage for 2027. The union’s employment representative, Gabriela García, says families are finding it increasingly difficult to cover everyday bills, including groceries and housing, as fuel costs rise and wages remain stagnant.
The union argues that consumer price inflation is outpacing wage increases agreed in collective bargaining, with fuel among the factors pushing prices higher. It also blames an unfair distribution of wealth, housing speculation and employers’ resistance to wage improvements in negotiations. CCOO says talks over collective agreements are being blocked. CCOO Secretary-General Unai Sordo has framed the national strike campaign around housing costs and wages, while also calling attention to rising prices and the defence of public services. He said average wages were rising, but collective agreements alone could not keep pace with a 12% year-on-year increase in housing prices.
CCOO and UGT have directed their campaign at CEOE, Spain’s main employers’ association, over what UGT Secretary-General Pepe Álvarez describes as its blockade of the State Agreement for Collective Bargaining. Participation in the 11 November action suspends an employee’s contract for the duration of the strike. Employers cannot sanction workers for taking part or require advance notice. Pay is deducted for time not worked, including proportional weekly rest and, where applicable, extra-pay accruals.
The dispute concerns labour negotiations, distinct from the questions of political accountability discussed in an earlier report. CCOO Granada says its strike call is intended to press for better pay and an end to what it calls “rubbish contracts”, so workers can build a secure livelihood. The unions are also calling for affordable housing and quality public services, with the broader aim of securing dignified living conditions.
