{"id":19945,"date":"2026-11-05T15:29:22","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T14:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gestingral.com\/?p=19945"},"modified":"2026-11-05T15:29:22","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T14:29:22","slug":"general-strike-11-november-employers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gestingral.com\/en\/general-strike-11-november-employers\/","title":{"rendered":"General strike on 11 November: what employers need to know"},"content":{"rendered":"

A 24-hour general strike<\/strong> has been called across Spain, including Catalonia, for Wednesday 11 November<\/strong>. It is led by the CCOO and UGT unions, with support from other unions, and the main demands are about housing and wages. If you have employees, you may need to reorganise work that day and adjust November’s payroll afterwards. Here is what you need to know:<\/p>\n<\/div>

<\/i>Wednesday 11 November 2026<\/strong> \u00b7 24-hour strike \u00b7 Article 28.2 of the Spanish Constitution and Royal Decree-Law 17\/1977<\/span><\/div><\/div>

What happens on the day?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n

Employees on strike<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u20ac0<\/p>\n

Their contract is suspended: they are not paid for the strike hours and no contributions are due for them<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n

Employees who work<\/strong><\/p>\n

100%<\/p>\n

They work as usual and receive full pay. That is why the workplace must stay open<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>

What can you do before the 11th?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>

\n
<\/i><\/span>Do not ask who will strike.<\/strong> Nobody needs permission or has to give notice. You will know who joined the strike when you see who did not come to work.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/i><\/span>Plan safety and maintenance cover<\/strong> if your business needs it, for example installations or equipment that cannot be shut down suddenly. It must be limited to what is essential to protect people and facilities (art. 6.7 of Royal Decree-Law 17\/1977).<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/i><\/span>Minimum services apply only to essential services<\/strong>, such as healthcare or transport. They are set by the competent authority in a formal decision, and they only bind you if your company is included (art. 10 of the same Royal Decree-Law).<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/i><\/span>Put your arrangements in writing.<\/strong> If you change shifts or tasks to cover these services, record the reason. If the Labour Inspectorate looks into it, this will help you show that you were not trying to weaken the strike.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

What you cannot do on strike day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Action<\/th>\nLegal basis<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Hiring outside staff<\/strong> or a temporary work agency to cover striking employees<\/td>\nArt. 6.5 of Royal Decree-Law 17\/1977 and art. 8 of Law 14\/1994 on temporary work agencies<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Assigning other employees<\/strong> to strikers’ tasks outside their usual duties (known as internal strike-breaking)<\/td>\nRight to strike (art. 28.2 of the Constitution), as interpreted by the courts<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Closing the workplace<\/strong><\/td>\nArt. 12 of Royal Decree-Law 17\/1977: only in exceptional cases<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Disciplining or dismissing<\/strong> someone for going on strike<\/td>\nArt. 6.1 of Royal Decree-Law 17\/1977<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Using technical means<\/strong> you do not normally use to cancel out the strike<\/td>\nThe courts are divided and it depends on the case. Ask us first<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Replacing strikers with people from outside the company is a very serious offence under art. 8.10 of the Spanish Law on Social Order Infringements and Penalties (LISOS), with fines from \u20ac7,501 to \u20ac225,018. Any penalty or dismissal for striking can also be declared null and void.<\/p>\n<\/div>

The timeline at a glance<\/strong><\/p>\n

These are the four points at which the employer needs to act:<\/p>\n

\"Employer<\/p>\n<\/div>

How does it affect November’s payroll?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Employees who strike lose pay for the time not worked, no more and no less (art. 6.2 of Royal Decree-Law 17\/1977). The usual calculation covers the pay for the strike hours or day, the proportional share of the extra payments (pagas extra) and the proportional share of weekly rest. Holidays and public holidays are not affected. Attendance or productivity bonuses are only reduced if the collective agreement says so.<\/p>\n

An example.<\/strong> An employee earns \u20ac1,800 a month in 14 payments (\u20ac25,200 a year), works Monday to Friday and strikes for the whole of 11 November:<\/p>\n