The 24-hour protest, called by Spain’s two biggest unions, is due to start on Wednesday. Spain is bracing for a nationwide general strike over soaring rents and the cost of living, as a deepening housing crisis fuels social unrest weeks before a crucial election. The 24-hour walkout due to begin at midnight on Wednesday was called by Spain’s two biggest unions – the Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) and Union General de Trabajadores (UGT) – under their slogan: wages, housing, prices.