The general strike has already caused chaotic scenes across Andalucia this morning with multiple people arrested.

Burning tyres disrupted traffic in Sevilla and police clashed with picket lines in Malaga and Granada, wielding batons against demonstrators.

Two people were arrested outside Granada’s Alhambra, while regional broadcaster Canal Sur interrupted its television programming, leaving a black screen carrying a message explaining that the strike was responsible.

In Sevilla, burning bins and tyres forced a lane closure and traffic diversion on the SE-30, with a heavy police presence at the scene.

Pickets also gathered on Avenida de Kansas City and at Plaza de Armas bus station.

In Malaga, officers used batons against pickets outside the municipal bus company EMT to allow the first buses operating under minimum-service arrangements to leave.

Police also moved demonstrators at Mercamalaga to allow trucks through.

Elsewhere in the city, protesters blocked a street near a metro station with construction barriers, while pickets moved through the centre, prompting some shops to close and terraces to empty.

IU Andalucía leader Toni Valero, who attended the EMT picket, accused police of a violent response and said several workers had suffered bruising and other injuries.

Por Andalucia separately alleged that its regional MP Ernesto Alba and other protesters had been assaulted by officers at Mercamalaga.

Two arrested at the Alhambra

In Granada, police arrested two picketers after a confrontation at the entrance to the Alhambra.

According to the police account, two employees asked officers for help reaching their workplaces.

Police created a passage for them, at which point several demonstrators allegedly kicked officers and the workers.

The two detainees are suspected of offences relating to obstructing the right to work and assaulting officers.

Police also intervened overnight at Mercacordoba, including to clear demonstrators from the road.

Disruption varies across the region

Sevilla city council reported little impact on its municipal companies, saying almost all Tussam buses had departed and Mercasevilla was operating at 98%.

UGT, meanwhile, estimated strike participation at 75% in Sevilla’s Aeropolis aerospace park and alleged that workers had faced threats of dismissal. That participation figure had not been independently verified.

The union said its demands included better pay, improved access to affordable housing and action on workplace deaths.

Minimum-service arrangements require 60% of urban and interurban transport in Andalucía to operate.

Renfe’s Cercanías services are required to maintain 75% of trains during peak hours and 50% during the rest of the day.

In Algeciras and La Línea, CCOO and UGT postponed their planned demonstrations because of the orange wind warning.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.