The dense schedule of educational strikes reaches its midpoint, starting the third week of stoppages, with a call that affects all of Catalonia. The new day of strike – in which both public and charter schools are called – comes at a time when talks between unions and the Department of Education are progressing adequately, although not enough to close an agreement and end the educational conflict.
This Wednesday, the four unions calling the strikes – Ustec, Aspepc, CGT, and Intersindical – will focus the protest on festive demonstrations, which will take place in Barcelona, Girona, Granollers, Lleida, Tarragona, and Torredembarra. In the capital, the demonstration will start at 10 in the morning from Pla del Palau to end at Drassanes square, where they plan to conclude with a paella.
Meanwhile, unions and Education met again yesterday Tuesday and are gradually moving closer. The Department made an important gesture, proposing the creation of a new salary supplement for all teachers – a point demanded by the unions – which would amount to about 35 euros per month and would start to be paid this year, with the possibility of reviewing it upwards in 2029. Likewise, Education opened up to recognizing the debt of the six-year increments (cut in 2012), although without specifying deadlines. After the meeting, Education spoke of “important elements of rapprochement,” while the unions positively valued the proposal, although they still consider the amount insufficient.
In any case, both parties will sit down again at 3 p.m. to finalize the economic figures of the salary increase, which has become the main obstacle in the negotiations, since there would be more consensus on the increase in staff – the other major teacher demand.
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The charter schools assert themselves
Although with a smaller volume and impact, charter schools are also called to strike this Wednesday. With their characteristic red color, private school teachers are called by the main employer association in the sector, Feusoc, due to the “lack of concrete commitments, defined schedule, and sufficient budget guarantees to advance in the equalization of working conditions” with the public sector, they state in a communiqué. As happened in the May 12 strike, the charter schools will demonstrate on their own, at 12 noon in Plaza Molina.
Meanwhile, the so-called Coordinator of Charter Schools of Catalonia has emerged, a platform that brings together teachers from 72 centers. In a statement, they defend that their emergence arises from the assembly organization of teachers “as a response to the strategic vacuum of the major union centers and the inaction of the Administration and employers.” Nevertheless, they share demands: salary increase, reduction of ratios, and equalization of conditions with the public sector. The platform has called its march at 10 a.m. on Passeig de Born.
