More than 700,000 workers in the Region of Murcia were called to join the 24-hour stoppage on 11 November. Affordable housing sat at the centre of the unions’ demands, tied to the difficulty of paying rent or mortgages from employment income. They also called for decent wages and more moderate prices. Pay, the minimum wage and pensions, they argued, should rise to recover purchasing power lost to inflation. CCOO and UGT backed the mobilisation, along with STERM Intersindical and the Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca. Support also came from the Sindicato de Vivienda, HOAC and No+Precariedad. The strike ran under the slogan “Trabajo para pagar, no para vivir”. Unions described it as the first general strike they had called in 14 years. It took place on the eve of a congressional vote on two housing decrees.
In central Murcia, El Corte Inglés lowered its shutter at 11:52. The manager had come outside shortly beforehand to speak with representatives of Comisiones Obreras and the Plataforma de Afectados por la Hipoteca, who were leading the gathering. The closure followed a planned push for the department store to shut as a symbolic act, a familiar gesture during Spanish general strikes. Organisers had arranged the 12:00 concentration near the store, ahead of the larger afternoon demonstration.
Tensions were reported on Gran Vía. A picket briefly stopped after police identified one of its members, whom demonstrators said was a journalist accompanying the group. The pause came after a dispute at a nearby shop: its owner alleged that pickets had threatened employees to stop the store opening. The march resumed, though some local shop workers demanded access to their jobs. Demonstrators then began occupying plaza Fuensanta.
Traffic and access problems were concentrated in parts of Murcia. The employers’ association Confederación Regional de Organizaciones Empresariales de Murcia (CROEM), however, described participation as limited and said businesses in Murcia, Lorca and Cartagena had started work without notable difficulties. It reported that workers entered the Polígono Industrial Oeste without incident. The Valle del Guadalentín had a similar start, according to the association. In the capital, pickets cut traffic at the Isla Grosa roundabout in Cabezo Cortado, affecting access to the area and the University of Murcia. CROEM also said a picket blocked vehicles entering and leaving the bus station. Cadena SER’s same-day assessment likewise described participation as very limited and reported no significant disruption to regional economic activity.
Cartagena saw a more mixed picture. Comisiones Obreras representative Miguel Jesús Cánovas rated participation as medium. He pointed to housing as a major source of discontent, alongside stalled collective bargaining and wage increases. He also accused Lhicarsa, the company responsible for the city’s cleaning, of setting minimum staffing at 100% of its workforce. Cánovas said the measure had been challenged. The City Council reported no significant incidents during the early hours, and initial roadblocks at Cabezo Beaza and Las Tejeras had cleared before 7:30. Murcia and Cartagena were the main centres of mobilisation. Demonstrations were planned for around 19:00.
The strike’s reach varied by sector and location. At 12:04, participation in the agricultural sector in the Vega Alta was almost nonexistent; workers at a Cieza cooperative were preparing persimmons for sale as usual. In Lorca, a UGT picket caused delays at the entrance to the Saprelorca industrial estate, while the employers’ group Ceclor said businesses were starting normally. Unions and student groups held discussions at plaza de la Merced and planned to join the central demonstration. The day also marked the debut of the right to academic stoppages at universities, which can be total or partial.
