Spaniards Take to the Streets With Anger Over Soaring Housing Costs

Workers walked off the job Wednesday across Spain in the first general strike in 14 years, with huge marches and rallies at several cities including the capital of Madrid.The protests are being fueled by anger over soaring housing costs and the high cost of living. The country’s two largest labor unions supported the walkouts.Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through a rainy Madrid calling for more affordable housing. Housing activists, first triggered by the September eviction of an 87-year-old woman who had lived in her Madrid home for 70 years, hope the show of force will lead to more regulation to protect tenants.High costs for rent are forcing younger Spaniards to live with their parents years longer than in the past. Spain’s youth council says the average young worker would need to spend nearly 99 percent of their salary to rent an apartment on their own.Among those still living at home is 25-year-old theater technician Paula Diaz. “People work a lot and it isn’t enough to pay the rent, to pay for a house,” Ms. Diaz told the news agency AFP at the Madrid protest.The high cost of housing is one of the main issues in a snap general election later this month. Prices in the country have doubled in the past decade, according to European Union data. The country is estimated to need nearly a million new housing units to meet demand.Apartments being converted into short-term rental properties has swallowed nearly half of the rental market in tourist areas. Last year, the consumer rights ministry ordered Airbnb to block 65,935 listings across the country that it claimed were against the law.Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez submitted a housing bill to the Spanish parliament in response but lawmakers rejected it. Mr. Sánchez, last month, called for the snap election in response. He is looking to mobilize voters to strengthen his leftwing coalition but it could backfire on him if voters blame him for a problem that has worsened during his eight years in office.The conservative People’s Party is leading in the latest poll ahead of the November 29 election, according to France 24, but it would likely require teaming up with the far-right Vox party to secure a majority coalition in Parliament. Far-left parties that are part of the current ruling coalition are not polling well and one, Podemos, or “We Can,” might not win enough support to hold any seats.The Madrid Tenants’ Union was at the forefront of the protests and called the day of strikes a success. The group says it goes beyond the election and protesters are demanding a new housing model.“This is a strike against everyone responsible: landlords, employers, governments and all governments,” the group’s spokeswoman, Valeria Racu said in a TV interview. “This isn’t about November 29. This is about the fact that whoever is in power, time is up. We have no more patience.”

Spaniards Take to the Streets With Anger Over Soaring Housing Costs

Spaniards Take to the Streets With Anger Over Soaring Housing Costs

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