How long does the general strike last on 11 November 2026?

The strike lasts 24 hours, from 00:00 to 24:00 on Wednesday 11 November 2026. It covers public and private employees, with minimum services in place.

Will trams and buses run in Tenerife on strike day?

That is not confirmed. UGT Canarias accuses the tram operator Metropolitano de Tenerife of irregularities in the minimum services, and no percentages have been published. Ask the operator.

Will flights in the Canaries be cancelled?

That cannot be confirmed. A report of 7 November said the airlines had not yet published cancellation lists. Check your flight status directly with the airline.

How high is turnout in the Canaries?

UGT gives 56% as of 12:00 on 11 November and a provisional 100% for AENA. The employers’ associations say work is carrying on as normal. There is no independent count.

Will there be more strikes after 11 November?

The FSC does not rule out another general strike on the islands but gave no date. The only confirmed event is the general election on 29 November 2026.

Which complaints have been announced?

UGT plans to file a complaint over the tram's minimum services. CCOO wants to take the use of temporary agency workers to court as a breach of the right to strike.

Canary Islands general strike: 56% turnout, tram row

What does the strike mean for visitors and residents in Tenerife?

The general strike runs from 00:00 to 24:00 on Wednesday 11 November 2026 and covers public and private employers. Essential areas get minimum services (servicios mínimos), a compulsory level of cover despite the walkout.

On 11 November the tram, regular buses (guaguas), ports and airports may see disruption. Only the tram is confirmed so far, and there an open dispute over minimum services is under way.

A German-language report of 7 November said the airlines had published neither cancellation lists nor the minimum-service rules for flights. The final flight list is therefore unconfirmed, so anyone flying on Wednesday should check the status with their airline.

Checks found no minimum services for the Canaries in the BOC (the Canaries’ official gazette) or from the regional government. The percentages for tram, buses and ports are therefore unknown, and passengers should ask the operator concerned.

The Confederación Canaria de Empresarios and CEOE Tenerife said work was carrying on as normal across the islands. That is the employers’ view, and no independent figures back it up.

How many workers are taking part in the Canaries?

UGT puts turnout in the Canaries at 56% as of 12:00. The union calls this “particularly significant” because the services sector carries so much weight in the islands’ economy.

At the airport operator AENA, turnout is provisionally 100%, according to UGT. The union expects the figure to rise once data from education and from the municipal and regional administrations are included.

CCOO rates the workers’ response as positive and singles out hotels and catering. Borja Suárez, general secretary of CCOO Servicios Canarias, told the news agency EFE it had gone well, but “you always want more”.

All these figures come from the unions and are not an independent count. UGT gives no base for the 56%, such as employees or sectors, and checks found no official figure for the Canaries.

What happened with Tenerife's tram?

UGT Canarias has reported irregularities in the minimum services, especially on Tenerife's tram. The operator involved is Metropolitano de Tenerife.

According to UGT, the company could not keep the service running with the staff first assigned. It therefore tried to name new employees for the minimum services at short notice.

UGT sees this as a breach of the rules on the right to strike and announces a complaint, arguing that minimum services cannot be changed on the spur of the moment to cover missing staff. Checks found no statement from Metropolitano de Tenerife.

Hotels are also in dispute: Suárez said some firms had brought in temporary agency workers to fill posts. CCOO wants to take this to court, as it believes it violates the right to strike.

Why are CCOO and UGT striking at all?

It is the first general strike backed by CCOO and UGT since November 2012. It follows the rejection of the housing decrees in the Spanish parliament (Congreso), and the demands are housing, wages, living costs and shorter working hours.

The unions call the strike a labour matter but do not rule out a political side. Suárez puts the turnout down to the “weariness” of many people over housing shortages and low pay.

On housing, the unions cite 211,000 empty homes in the Canaries, of which 17,300 are in the province of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and 14,300 in Las Palmas. According to CCOO, social housing makes up only 1% of the stock, the lowest share in Spain.

Daniel Casal, general secretary of the Federación Sindical Canaria (FSC), cites a pay gap of around 500 euros against the Spanish average. These figures are also union claims, and no official statistics from ISTAC (the Canaries’ statistics institute) or INE (Spain’s national statistics institute) were available.

What happens after 11 November?

On 29 November 2026 Spain elects a new parliament, 18 days after the strike. The unions link the walkout to housing policy, but Navarro calls it “clearly a labour matter”.

Casal said the FSC does not rule out another general strike on the islands after 11 November. He gave no date.

Still open are a final union tally after 12:00, the minimum services in the BOC and the flight cancellations. Checks also found no times or places for the rallies on Tenerife.