Canary Islands strike 11 November: minimum services open

What changes on 11 November for visitors and residents?

The strike runs for 24 hours, from 00:00 to 24:00 on Wednesday 11 November 2026. Firms with shift work may start earlier or finish later, depending on their rota.

Flights may be delayed or cancelled, according to a general report on Spain that does not treat the Canary Islands separately. Airlines must rebook or refund, but usually pay no extra compensation, because strikes count as extraordinary circumstances.

Restaurants, museums and shops may close or shorten their hours if their staff strike. The sources did not say which businesses in the south of the islands are affected.

Emergencies and basic healthcare must stay covered. Planned appointments and tests may still be postponed.

Whether a school opens depends on turnout and on the minimum staff assigned. Parents should ask the school in advance.

What applies to buses, ferries and airports?

Exact minimum services for guaguas (the Canarian word for buses), ferries, airports, administration and health are not yet known. Only the authorities set them, never the employer, and only for vital activities.

CCOO and UGT proposed the 2010 and 2012 strikes to the Transport Ministry as a model. Back then 30% of local trains ran, but it is not clear whether that pattern suits the Canary Islands.

The order for transport is expected in the days before 11 November. No such entry had appeared in the BOC by 4 November.

Travellers should check their connection for 11 November directly with the operator and allow a time buffer. Because of the shift rule, the strike may run into 12 November at individual firms.

Why are the unions striking?

CCOO Canarias, UGT, CGT and CNT point to the housing crisis, speculation, low wages and the high cost of living. The call applies nationwide, so the Canary Islands are included.

UGT representative Manuel Navarro calls it the first general strike in 14 years. He and Vanesa Frahija, the heads of UGT and CCOO in the Canary Islands, reject the label “political strike” and describe a labour dispute that does not ignore politics.

The unions want to bring 211,000 empty homes into use and have 20% of them rented out. They also call for vertical building and the renewal of urban districts, and they criticise Congress for rejecting parts of the housing decree.

The unions say wages in the Canary Islands are about 500 euros below the Spanish average and that income per head is the lowest in Spain. By their account, social housing makes up about 1% of the stock and new homes mostly cost over 200,000 euros, though these figures have not been independently checked.

The strike falls just over two weeks before the early general election on 29 November 2026. The CEOE will not challenge it beforehand, but reserves the right to act after the strike.

What rights do employees have on strike day?

Taking part is voluntary and a fundamental right, set out in Article 28.2 of the Spanish constitution and Article 6.1 of Real Decreto-ley 17/1977. An employer may not penalise, dismiss or retaliate against strikers.

Strikers do not have to announce it beforehand, and the employer may not ask. Anyone who does not strike may work as normal, and the firm may neither close nor block access.

Pay is reduced only for the time not worked, including a proportional share of allowances and extra payments. The employer may not make staff recover the day through holiday, overtime or future working days.

Strike days attract no Social Security contributions and do not count towards a later unemployment benefit claim. The firm must file the special registration this requires after the strike.

Anyone who strikes does no work at all, including from home. An employer may not send people home to work simply to blunt the strike.

Anyone assigned to minimum services must turn up and receives full pay. Anyone who cannot get in because of reduced buses should document the disruption, and then the employer should deduct nothing.

What is still unclear?

Confirmed times and places for demonstrations in the Canary Islands are not yet available. There are also no figures on the expected turnout.

The Transport Ministry is to set minimum services for transport, and the Canary Islands government for regional services. Percentages for guaguas, ferries, airports, administration and health are still missing.

The election follows on 29 November, after the strike on 11 November. Anyone travelling or holding an official appointment in the week of 11 November will probably find the minimum services in the BOC and from transport operators shortly beforehand.