Minimum Services Set for General Strike and Rail Disruptions

Public administrations have established mandatory minimum service levels across multiple sectors ahead of the general strike scheduled for Wednesday, November 11, the first such nationwide action supported by major labor unions in 14 years. Alongside the general strike, the railway sector faces additional rolling strikes called by the Spanish Union of Train Drivers (Semaf) on Tuesday, November 10, and Thursday, November 12, stemming from unresolved safety disputes and demands dating back to previous accidents.

The Ministry of Transport published the minimum operational requirements for rail services during the general strike. Commuter rail (Cercanías) will operate at 75 percent capacity during peak hours and 50 percent during the rest of the day. Medium-distance trains will run at 65 percent capacity, while high-speed and long-distance services are set at 73 percent. Freight rail services are limited to 26 percent of their regular schedule. For the separate union strikes on Tuesday and Thursday, minimum services remain largely similar, though freight is adjusted to 20 percent.

Air travel will also experience federally mandated minimums. The Ministry of Transport established that routes connecting the peninsula to the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Ceuta, and Melilla must maintain between 56 percent and 85 percent of their flights. Domestic peninsular flights taking five hours or more must run between 39 percent and 64 percent of their normal schedules, whereas shorter flights range from 18 percent to 37 percent. International flights are required to maintain between 39 percent and 64 percent capacity.

Regional governments have outlined specific minimum services for local public transit, healthcare, and education. In Catalonia, public transport will operate at 25 percent capacity during peak hours, and healthcare will guarantee urgent and non-postponable treatments. The Madrid regional government mandated 80 percent service for metro lines during peak hours and 50 percent for buses, alongside specific staffing formulas for healthcare centers and educational institutions. The Valencian Community announced that 80 percent of its regional rail services and between 70 and 80 percent of metropolitan transport in Valencia will remain functional.

In the postal sector, the government prioritized preparations for upcoming general elections. Offices with up to four workers must retain one employee per shift, while larger offices scale up required staffing proportionally. Additionally, 50 percent of the personnel in special service units dedicated to delivering electoral documentation to citizens and the electoral census office must remain on duty.

Security for essential infrastructure is heavily protected under orders from the Secretary of State for Security, which set a general minimum of 80 percent for private security at nuclear, petrochemical, water, gas, electricity, and financial facilities. Security services at public transport hubs and telecommunications centers are mandated to maintain 90 percent capacity. Meanwhile, the Ministry for Ecological Transition ordered that at least 20 percent of gas stations in each county remain operational throughout the strike day.

Despite these detailed plans, the National Federation of Freight Transport Associations expressed concern and perplexity over the absence of mandatory minimum services for road freight transport. While the Ministry of Transport negotiated minimums for rail freight and passenger buses, the omission left the supply of essential goods by road without specific protective measures, raising questions among industry stakeholders as the country prepares for the widespread labor stoppage.