How much of a Canarian salary is left once the rent is paid? For Ignacio Hernández of CCOO, almost nothing: in an interview with Diario de Avisos he says rent swallows the whole wage. That is a union assessment, not an official statistic, but it sets the tone for the strike day that will reach all of Spain on 11 November, the islands included.
The facts first. CCOO and UGT have called a 24-hour general strike for Wednesday 11 November. The date was agreed with tenants’ organisations after several days of talks, according to Euronews, and it falls two days before the campaign for the 29 November general election begins. When the plan was announced on 5 October, it was only “this autumn”, with no date. The political backdrop is the rejection of the government’s housing decrees in the Congress of Deputies.
There are four demands: wages that cover rent or a mortgage, caps on rents in stressed housing zones, more public housing, and restrictions on tourist and seasonal lets. On pay, the unions’ proposal for the sixth national collective bargaining agreement (AENC) asks for rises of 4% to 7%, revision clauses, and clauses easing access to housing.
In the Canaries the argument has its own accent. Daniel Casal of the Federación Sindical Canaria speaks of a gap of about 500 euros with the average Spanish salary. He points out that the islands’ GDP is growing at 2.85% against 2.7% nationally, yet the archipelago remains last for income per head. The housing figures come from the unions interviewed and have not been independently checked: roughly 211,000 empty homes, social housing close to 1% of stock, and around 15% of dwellings used as tourist accommodation. Hernández says Canarian rents are the highest in Spain.
Politically, the FSC has signed a manifesto with Intersindical Canaria calling for mobilisation. Manuel Navarro of UGT Canarias says those questioning the strike’s legitimacy are missing the point, and Hernández calls it both a labour and a civic action. Casal does not rule out a general strike for the islands alone, depending on how 11 November goes.
A practical caution for residents. In the sources we read we found no minimum-service arrangements (transport, health, schools) for the Canaries, so for travel or appointments that day it is worth checking notices from transport operators and health centres. If they are published in the coming days, we will add them.
