Tenants' union threatens 'rent strike' if rents aren't slashed by 50%

The tenants' union Sindicat de Llogateres has announced a protest in Barcelona on November 23 to demand a significant reduction in rents.

They are demanding that rents are halved and warned that if this demand is not met, they will launch a "rent strike".

"If landlords and politicians do not reduce rents, we will do it ourselves," the union said.

The announcement comes after a protest in Madrid last weekend, where 22,000 people took to the streets to rally against high rents.

The Tenants' Union described the Madrid demonstration as the start of an "unstoppable wave" to ensure that "this situation comes to an end".

The following day, Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez announced the allocation of €200 million in rent subsidies for young people

The union, however, dismissed the measures as a "farce". The activists also criticized the rent regulations currently in place in Catalonia, which they said were "watered down" and "flawed".

Enric Aragonès, spokesperson for the union, argued that the announced benefits would ultimately "end up in the pockets of the landlords."

"We have run out of patience," the union warned, while criticizing landlords for "making a fortune" at the expense of struggling tenants.