Trade unions and social movements call for protests against the rising cost of living

The meeting, organised at the initiative of the Confederation of Tenants’ Unions of the Spanish State, brought together organisations from France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy, which agreed on a joint declaration.

Participants included representatives of the Yellow Vests (Gilets Jaunes) coordination and the Union Syndicale Lycéenne (USL), which has been at the forefront of recent student protests in France.

Their common demands include the right to housing, price controls, higher wages and pensions, and an end to rearmament.

Organisations from seven European countries met in Paris today, at the initiative of the Confederation of Tenants’ Unions of the Spanish State, and adopted a joint declaration calling for coordinated demonstrations across Europe on 20, 21 and 22 November.

The meeting took place two days before the general strike scheduled for 5 November in France. It brought together tenants’ unions, housing rights organisations, trade unions and environmental movements.

Participants included the Yellow Vests (Gilets Jaunes) coordination, the Union Syndicale Lycéenne (USL), which has been at the forefront of student protests in recent weeks, as well as CGT, Solidaires and Droit au Logement (DAL) from France, the London Renters Union from the United Kingdom, Climáximo from Portugal and USB-ASIA from Italy (see full list below).

In their joint declaration, the organisations condemn the sharp rise in the cost of living, as housing becomes increasingly unaffordable and the costs of basic food items and transport place a growing burden on households. They also warn of a return to austerity policies amid pressure from public debt creditors and the arms race.

The organisations also pledge to make solidarity “a daily practice and a tool for organising”. The coordinated demonstrations will be based on a common set of demands, including:

• Guaranteeing the right to housing
• Introducing price controls to reduce housing, food and energy costs
• Increasing wages and pensions
• Ensuring universal, high-quality public services, including education and healthcare
• Guaranteeing the right to work and secure legal residency status to eliminate racist exclusion
• Taxing wealth, ending rearmament and reducing dependence on fossil fuels

Organisations that participated in the meeting

France: Yellow Vests coordination (Gilets Jaunes), Union Syndicale Lycéenne (USL), Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT), Solidaires, Droit au Logement (DAL).

United Kingdom: London Renters Union, Greater Manchester Tenants Union.

Belgium: Rassemblement Bruxellois pour le Droit à l’Habitat (RBDH), Fédération Bruxelloise Unie pour le Logement (FéBUL), Wuune.

Greece: Community of Squatted Prosfygika, Rocinante (online).

Spain: Confederation of Tenants’ Unions (Sindicato de Inquilinas de Madrid and Sindicat de Llogateres de Catalunya).

Portugal: Climáximo, Sindicato de Moradoras de Lisboa, Estudantes pelo Fim ao Fóssil.

Italy: Unione Sindacale di Base – Associazione Inquilini e Abitanti (USB-ASIA).