The effects are first visible in transport. In Barcelona, the metro and the RER remain out of service for seven hours. On the high-speed network, 24% of TGV services are cancelled. In air transport, 289 aircraft remain on the ground.
Spain is not paralyzed this Wednesday, but a general strike is shaking the country. It is a mobilization not seen there for fourteen years, and it stands out by its nature.
Three weeks before the snap legislative elections, Spaniards take to the streets in an unprecedented movement. The housing crisis thus forces its way onto the political calendar, on the eve of a vote called ahead of schedule.
For the first time, the main rallying cry does not bear directly on wages or working conditions. It concerns the right to housing.
Electricity consumption falls by 7.5%, according to the grid operator. By midday, 42 arrests are recorded.
The two major trade-union confederations, CCOO and UGT, are not behind the movement. The walkout therefore falls outside the usual framework of calls issued by the majority organizations.
The country is not at a standstill. Disruptions to urban and rail transport, aircraft grounded, the drop in electricity demand and the arrests nonetheless measure the scale of a day centered on housing, and not on the classic social conflict.