The Government of Salvador Illa approved this Tuesday to increase the specific salary supplement for teachers that they agreed last month with the CC OO and UGT unions. The amount is 839.02 euros for primary school teachers and 857.92 for secondary school teachers and will be paid in a single payment in the May payroll for public school teachers. In the case of subsidized private schools, it will be prorated.
The forecast is that the Executive will invest 134 million euros in this chapter, in addition to establishing a compensation of 50 euros per night for teachers or companions participating in school camps. In this case, the sum will amount to between six and 10 million euros. The amounts were set in the agreement that the Government signed with the two aforementioned unions and which it described as “historic”. USTEC, the majority union in the sector, rejected the pact and promoted a massive mobilization and a week of strikes with massive follow-up.
The spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, stated that with the payment of the 800 euros as a supplement, Catalan teachers stop occupying the third-to-last position in Spain and now become the third best paid. “We know the needs of the sector and that is why we have reached agreements with CC OO and UGT. This is the way to reverse the current situation,” Paneque defended in relation to the sector’s demands. The minister added that the Executive continues to have an “extended hand” and “we continue to extend it”.
The conflict is far from resolved, and now there are already 600 schools threatening not to hold school camps next academic year. The sector has warned that its viability may be at risk. The minister pointed out that it is a fair economic compensation and ruled out that the Government could force schools to organize the camps. “We don’t want to force anyone. The decision rests with the centers. We want to address a fair demand and provide it with economic resources,” she clarified.
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The majority unions have carried out their threat and did not attend the sectoral meeting called by the Department of Education, arguing that they will only attend a meeting whose agenda item is to reopen negotiations. And given the Government’s immobility, they continue their plan to call new strikes, especially after verifying that they have the support of the sector.
Last week, these unions launched a survey among teachers to gauge support for new strikes. According to what they announced this Tuesday, 31,600 teachers responded to the questionnaire, of whom 90% “strongly commit to continuing to strike” and 58% opt for “formulas that intensify the conflict,” according to the unions in a statement. On Monday, the unions will detail the dates of the strikes and the actions they will propose.
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