Were flights cancelled on Gran Canaria because of the general strike?

Yes, airport management said three strike-related flights were cancelled on Gran Canaria by 11:00. Later, more than 25 flights were cancelled or diverted, including some because of Storm Charles.

When and where did the march in Las Palmas take place?

On Wednesday 11 November 2026 the march started at about 18:15 at the Parque de Santa Catalina. It ran along León y Castillo and Presidente Alvear to the plaza de la Feria.

How many people took part in the general strike march?

Police counted around 3,000 people at the start, and reporters estimated at least 15,000 at about 19:22. No official overall figure has been published.

Who called the general strike in the Canary Islands?

CCOO and UGT called it, and other unions backed it. Vanesa Frahija (CCOO Canarias) and Manuel Navarro (UGT Canarias) announced it in Las Palmas on 22 October 2026.

Are there more strike days planned on Gran Canaria?

No follow-up action had been announced by Wednesday 11 November 2026. The reports name no further strike dates.

Did the marches on La Palma and La Gomera go ahead?

No, the marches on La Palma and La Gomera were cancelled because of Storm Charles. They had originally been planned on seven of the islands.

Gran Canaria general strike: three flights cancelled

What changes for visitors and residents in the south?

The strike applied only on Wednesday 11 November 2026, from 00:00 to 24:00. The reports name no lasting changes for visitors or residents, and nobody has announced further strike days so far.

Airport management said three strike-related flights were cancelled at Gran Canaria airport by 11:00. In all, it reported six cancellations among 1,176 planned flight movements.

Later in the day, more than 25 flights were cancelled or diverted, including some hit by Storm Charles. It is unclear how many are down to the strike, so check your flight status with the airline in the coming days.

On the GC-1 near Vecindario and Juan Grande, triangular metal objects caused punctures. The reports do not say how many vehicles were affected.

Did buses and trams run despite the strike?

Buses and trams ran under minimum services, a legally required minimum level of service. The reports do not give the percentage.

At the Las Palmas depot, pickets delayed departures of the Global buses (the scheduled bus service). The reports do not say whether routes to the south were also affected.

CCOO had called the minimum services at Global and the post service Correos abusive in advance. As of 12 October, before the strike, the labour authority had set none, and a search of the Canary Islands official gazette (BOC) found no such decision.

From 03:00, pickets blocked the entrances to Mercalaspalmas for about an hour and a half. Reports say there were no incidents, though another report puts about 300 people at the access points.

How many people marched through Las Palmas?

Police counted around 3,000 people at the start of the march at about 18:15. Depending on the account, it had been announced for 17:30 or 18:00.

At about 19:22, reporters wrote of at least 15,000 participants and said the police figure was far lower. That looks like the reporters' own estimate, and there is no official number.

The route ran from the Parque de Santa Catalina along León y Castillo and Presidente Alvear to the plaza de la Feria. Another account gives the Delegación del Gobierno (the government delegation) as the destination.

A protest camp for affordable housing had stood on the plaza de la Feria for six days beforehand. Vehicles got stuck in the Santa Catalina tunnel, and police stopped southbound traffic at the exit of the Julio Luengo tunnel.

At the housing march on 3 October 2026, police counted around 3,500 people in Las Palmas. Organisers then spoke of 8,000 to 10,000, and some participants felt turnout was bigger this time.

How strong was the strike?

UGT Canarias told the agency EFE that turnout in the Canary Islands was 56%, five points below the Spanish average of 61%. CCOO spoke of about 50%, without giving a time for the figure.

The employers' association CEOE Tenerife sees it very differently and put turnout at about 1%. The association CCE called the strike “absurd”, according to its secretary general in Las Palmas, José Cristóbal García.

The association Ashotel reported under 2% at its members' accommodation. The union Sindicalistas de Base spoke of about 20% in hotels and about 10% in retail and hospitality.

Tourism employers on Lanzarote put it at about 0.2%. In the Canarian government's administration, provisional turnout at 15:55 was 5.8%, excluding health, education and justice.

In education it was 11.74% at 11:00 (2,181 of 18,571 staff), and 13.59% on Gran Canaria. In the justice sector, Gran Canaria reported 8.23%.

There is no single overall figure for the Canary Islands. Each side measures different sectors and times.

Why did they strike, and what happens next?

CCOO and UGT mainly demand affordable housing and higher wages. According to UGT, the minimum wage (Salario Mínimo Interprofesional, SMI) should rise by 7% next year and working hours should fall.

The unions say there are 211,000 empty homes in the Canary Islands, and renting out 20% of them could solve the problem. That is not an official count.

It is the first general strike backed by CCOO and UGT since 2012, and it falls in the weeks before the parliamentary election on 29 November 2026. Employers doubted its legal basis, and CEOE Tenerife spoke of a clearly political character.

Manuel Navarro, secretary general of UGT Canarias, called it “clearly a labour strike, though the political side is not ruled out”. Strike days are deducted from pay, he said, so low earners may feel almost forced not to strike.

The unions announced no new strike days up to Wednesday. According to RTVC, they only warn that the situation could worsen if certain parties win a majority on 29 November.