The conflict in education has made evident the unrest felt in schools and institutes, as well as the difficulties in finding solutions. An increasingly unequal society is bringing serious social problems to educational institutions. Growing inequalities, extreme poverty, social violence, and mental illness generate conflicts that teachers must face without the necessary resources and with a sense of isolation and abandonment. Signs on the doors of some schools express this clearly: "We are outraged that the educational psychologist is not part of the school staff"; "We are outraged that we have to train ourselves in our free time and at our own expense in dyslexia, autism spectrum disorder, specific language impairment, ADHD, dyscalculia..."

"Either negotiation or resignation." This has been the main message repeated by the 35,000 teachers and professors – 100,000 according to the organizers – who demonstrated this Friday in Barcelona to show their rejection of the agreement that the Government signed with CCOO and UGT to improve teachers' working conditions and the situation in classrooms. Their refusal has resulted in what the unions have called a "total strike": almost half of the teachers (43.77%) have joined the strike – although the unions put this percentage as high as 85%. This figure is slightly higher than the participation reported by the Department of Education during the last strike the sector staged in Catalonia last February, when the final tally was 40.94%.

On the fourth day of the teachers' strike and one day before the nationwide school closures, the government has insisted that improving the agreement signed with the CCOO and UGT unions—but not with Ustec, the largest teachers' union—is not on the table. The Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero, reiterated this after approving a supplementary budget of €5,988.65 million, which will cover expenses once the budget is withdrawn to continue negotiations with the ERC party. Romero warned that "having more resources is very difficult without a budget" and also admitted that if the budget were approved, it would be "very complicated" to improve the agreement with the teachers because "it's a very, very large increase." "The government has made a very significant effort, and we should all be aware of that," she asserted.

I have always thought that in our profession it is very important to value the meaning of the words we use both to address children and young people and to relate to each other, teachers and families.

On Tuesday, the Tarragona region saw protests from teachers who were not satisfied with the salary increase agreed upon by the CCOO and UGT unions with the government. The improvement included, among other things, an increase of around 3,000 euros per year. Not bad, but three unions (USTEC, Intersindical, and CGT) were not entirely convinced and organized a consultation.95% of voters rejected the agreement. It should be noted that 40,000 teachers participated, more than half of the total. The strikes that began this week and end on Friday with a demonstration in Barcelona therefore have very broad support among professionals.

On the second day of the week of strikes in the education sector, the teachers' protest not only maintained its momentum but actually increased. This Tuesday, the strikes were called in the territorial services of Penedès, Tarragona, and Terres de l'Ebre, and according to the tally provided by the Department of Education, participation rose to 38.48%, six and a half points higher than Monday's strike in Barcelonès and Baix Llobregat (31%). However, the unions calling the mobilization (USTEC – the largest in the sector – Secondary School Teachers, CGT, and Intersindical) again reported a much higher number of professionals participating in the strike: they claim that 70% walked off the job on this second day of protest.

The standoff between teachers and the government of Salvador Illa saw its first street protest on Monday, marking the start of a strike that It will last throughout the week in various parts of the country. The rejection of the agreement—deemed "insufficient" by the Ustec union—between the Department of Education and the CCOO and UGT unions to improve working conditions for staff and the situation in classrooms has resulted in road blockades on access routes to Barcelona early this morning and a demonstration by thousands of teachers who flooded Plaça Sant Jaume in the Catalan capital.

One week after the Government It will close an agreement to improve teachers' salary conditions with CCOO and UGT but without USTEC —the majority union—This Monday, teachers are once again called to mobilize in protests that will last all week. The strike, which will be held each day in a different part of the country and will end on Friday with a demonstration in Barcelona, ​​comes at a time of some tension within the education sector—especially on social media—and with a clear disagreement between unions following the breakdown of the unified movement.

"Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, we will stop organizing school trips and/or summer camps until the Department of Education implements real, structural, and effective improvements in the public education system." This is the premise of the manifesto that has been circulating for the past few days. WhatsApps and emails from hundreds of teachers. The goal of the initiative, which originated in the Maresme-La Selva Teachers' Assembly but has spread among teachers throughout the country, is to find other ways to protest and pressure the government toaddress the demands that were made heard in the streets during the strike of February 11thA general salary increase to equalize the conditions of Catalan teachers with those in the rest of Spain, a reduction in classroom sizes, greater investment in inclusive education, and a reduction in bureaucracy in schools and institutes.

The tug-of-war between teachers' unions and the government will continue for at least another week. After meeting this Thursday with the Department of Education, the unions reiterated that they do not accept the improvement proposal put forward by the department, which, among other things, included a salary increase of 1,500 euros over four yearsThis increase would mean that by 2029, teachers would earn approximately €100 more gross per month than they do now. As they already announced on Wednesday, the unions consider the department's offer insufficient, and in fact, on Thursday, Ustec spokesperson Iolanda Segura described the proposal as "absolutely offensive." However, the largest union in the education sector does consider the document a "starting point" for further negotiations. Sources at the Department of Education confirm that the department is open to continuing negotiations with the unions and that union meetings will be held next Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday to further discuss the proposal. The unions acknowledge that they welcome "this willingness to negotiate" and hope that next week the government will present them with "a concrete proposal." They insist that the improvement should include doubling the specific supplement, while for now, the Department of Education has offered them a 15% increase.

Massive, historic, or resounding are just some of the adjectives used to describe this week's strike in the education sector. After years of limited mobilization, this February many teachers have said enough is enough and made their discontent with the system known with more than 70,000 professionals demonstrating across the country and a strike supported by almost half of all teachers (40.94%), according to the government's figures, and 85% by the teachers themselves.

The wind has paralyzed much of the country's activity..

Wednesday's strike saw widespread participation in defense of education. The strike was well-attended, drawing more protesters than, for example, the previous weekend's demonstrations against the commuter rail crisis. Teachers took to the streets to express a long-standing and seemingly entrenched discontent. Paradoxically, the Catalan government not only showed understanding but also agreed with the teachers' demands: "From the Department of Education, we understand and share the demands to strengthen the education system, and we remain committed to dialogue with the unions to reach a social agreement that will allow us to contribute to the improvement of education in our country," said the Minister.

Teachers have made their voices heard by taking to the streets en masse in what unions have called a "historic" day. This Wednesday, four out of ten teachers supported the strike called jointly by the unions, according to the Catalan government's count. However, unions have put the participation rate for the strike in schools and institutes across the country at 85%. This powerful mobilization by Catalan school professionals—not only teachers, but also educational support staff and leisure workers—aimed to make four very clear demands heard: a general salary increase to bring Catalan teachers' working conditions in line with those in the rest of Spain, a reduction in class sizes, and a decrease in bureaucratic procedures in schools and institutes. Across the country, thousands of teachers took to the streets simultaneously in a mobilization that included highway and road blockades early this morning, large columns of teachers marching through cities, and four major demonstrations in Barcelona, ​​Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. In fact, the protest drew over 70,000 participants throughout Catalonia, according to police estimates, and around 100,000 according to the organizing unions: Ustec, Aspepc, CCOO, CGT, and UGT. The mass mobilization began Tuesday night with teachers closing about fifty schools and institutes and continued this morning. Between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m., some teachers blocked traffic on a dozen roads across Catalonia, causing significant traffic disruptions during rush hour. Among the most notable road closures are those on the Ronda Litoral ring road in Barcelona, ​​which protesters have occupied for over an hour, as well as the AP-7 highway in Girona, the C-31 in Hospitalet de Llobregat, and the C-37 in Valls.

Under 48 hours before a new day of industrial action in state schools, head teachers from 300 schools have signed a letter addressed to Catalan Education minister Josep Gonzàlez-Cambray, to which ARA has had access, in which they warn that the situation in schools is "unsustainable": "There is a real risk that the whole public education system will collapse and the functioning of state schools with minimum quality standards will no longer be guaranteed". The statement asks the minister for "measures not words" after "repeated" demands made by schools to the Department.

There is no more margin to seek an agreement. The mess between unions and the Department of Education has materialized with the resolution published this Tuesday at noon on schools' internal portal, informing them of the staff they will have next year. This document does not include the 1,463 extra teachers the Department had promised as a last minute gesture, in exchange for accepting one of the unions' main demands, a reduction in the number of teaching hours for primary and secondary school teachers. But the unions demanded that this measure also be applied in secondary schools from September onwards, a point that the Department claims is neither economically nor technically feasible and proposed a delay until the following academic year, in 2023-24. The unions rejected this and, in the end, staff numbers will be more or less the same as this year, or even lower, if the State does not renew covid funds which allow to pay the thousand of substitute teachers schools had throughout the pandemic. The Department expects a hectic end of the school year.