Alex Trelinski
PROTESTS are taking place this weekend in two cities as part of a nationwide campaign against high property rents amidst calls for tenants to stage a payment strike.
Rents have soared in recent years with younger people especially unable to afford to move out from family homes, despite government schemes offering subsidies.
Demonstrations were held in Spain last Sunday demanding access to housing at a fair rate.
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The biggest protest was in Madrid with a further one planned for next month.
Two gatherings are now scheduled for this Saturday in Alicante and Valencia.
The rallies have threatened rent strikes but according to Article 28 of the constitution, a strike is only permitted over workplace labour matters, and so therefore would be illegal.
In other words, landlords who are not paid rent could take civil action to regain their money and to carry out evictions.
Nevertheless tenant unions in the country’s major cities are seeing an impetus to go out on the streets over the issue.
The next Madrid demonstration has been called for Friday November 18 by two tenant bodies.
They said: “On Sunday we made it clear and now everything begins.”
“In order to lower rents we need to be many and organised,” they added.
Five days later, Barcelona’s Sindicat de Llogateres i Llogaters will stage a protest in the Catalan capital.
“After the massive mobilisation in Madrid, now it is our turn,” it said.
“There is no stopping this. We will fill the streets of Barcelona.”
