Las Palmas general strike: 8,000 march over housing

What does the strike mean for visitors in the south of Tenerife?

The strike ran for 24 hours on 11 November, from 00:00 to 24:00, so it ended at midnight. Visitors and residents have nothing to register and no deadline to meet.

There is no confirmed information on flights, airports or minimum services in the Canaries. Reports before the strike expected transport disruption, but it is not documented whether the south of Tenerife was affected, or how badly.

Esther Ortega Romero of CCOO Gran Canaria called it a general transport strike, apart from minimum services, which she called “abusive”. Employers' associations described participation in the private sector as marginal.

Passengers who are due to fly should check their flight status with the airline. Reports before the strike also warned that travel insurance may not cover strike cancellations if the policy was taken out after 7 October 2026.

What happened in Las Palmas on 11 November?

The march left Parque Santa Catalina about half an hour late. It went on to the Delegación del Gobierno, the central government's representation in the islands.

CCOO led the column, followed by UGT, teachers' and bus drivers' unions and housing groups. Slogans targeted property speculators and funds that buy up homes.

According to the report, there were no references to the central government or to Pedro Sánchez. The organisers had not issued a final tally by the evening.

The figure of more than 8,000 participants comes from first estimates, and the report did not say who made them. There is no figure from the Delegación del Gobierno or the police.

Ortega called the strike atypical and said its aim was to “regain class consciousness”. She put participation at Mercalaspalmas at 30 or 40%.

Why are the unions striking over housing?

The strike was called by CSI (a tenants' union), UGT, CCOO, CGT, CNT, Solidaridad Obrera and Co.Bas. It was registered with the labour ministry on 19 October, while CSIF and USO stayed out.

Spain's last general strike was 14 years ago, in 2012, against Rajoy's labour market reform. Employers questioned the legal basis of this one, arguing that it was not a pure labour dispute.

Vanesa Frahija (CCOO Canarias) and Manuel Navarro (UGT Canarias) described the action on 22 October as clearly a labour matter and did not rule out a political element. The unions demand higher pay in line with housing costs.

According to the unions, 211,000 homes stand empty across the islands, 17,300 of them in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and 14,300 in Las Palmas. Social housing makes up about 1% of the stock, and wages sit around 500 euros below the national average.

How fast are rents and prices rising in the Canaries?

According to Fotocasa, rents in the Canaries rose 12.8% in 2025, against 6.9% nationally. Only Castilla-La Mancha, at 19.8%, and Catalonia, at 11.5%, posted stronger rises.

The Alquiler Seguro foundation puts the average rent at 1,211 euros a month, up 8.81% since the end of 2025. Tenants in the Canaries spent 56% of their pay on rent in 2025, according to InfoJobs, against 50% nationally.

ISTAC, the Canaries statistics office, reported a 12.6% rise for new-build homes in the first quarter of 2025, against 12.2% nationally. The CGPJ, Spain's judicial council, counted 1,426 evictions in the previous year, almost 80% of them for unpaid rent.

Who decides, and what is planned?

The Canary government, a coalition of CC and PP, sets housing policy, and Consejero (regional minister) Pablo Rodríguez is responsible. It declared a housing emergency in February 2024.

Ley 6/2025, which regulates holiday rentals (vivienda vacacional), appeared in the BOC, the Canaries' official gazette, on 12 December 2025 and has applied since 13 December 2025. It strengthens the municipalities and replaces the free-settlement model.

The housing ministry told the regional government to inspect more than 14,200 illegal holiday lets. Rent caps need a stressed-market zone under the national housing law, and according to RTVC none had been declared by the end of November 2025.

According to La Moncloa, the state is offering 222.6 million euros over five years for the Canaries. The regional government cites more than 2,000 homes under construction and offered the state land for 997 rental homes under Plan 20,000.

What happens next in the Canaries after the strike?

Spain votes on 29 November 2026, 18 days after the strike, RTVC reports. Daniel Casal of the Federación Sindical Canaria said a sector-wide or general strike on the islands could follow, but there is no date.

No official turnout figure, reliable participation rates or minimum-service levels have been published. Unions and employers contradict each other on participation, and neither side's figures have been checked.

Only headlines exist on the police response to pickets and on the march in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. A march of more than 3,000 people there is unconfirmed, and one report said marches on La Palma and La Gomera were suspended because of Storm Charles.