Discomfort of education unions over the letter sent to families detailing teachers' salaries

In a context of tension between the Department of Education and union forces over the signed agreement to improve teachers' conditions and classroom situations, this week the Catalan Government sent an email to the families of the schools explaining the details of the agreement it reached with the CCOO and UGT unions, but which USTEC, the majority union, rejected. This action has made even more evident the discontent of the unions that had not viewed the Catalan Government's final proposal regarding teachers' conditions favorably. In this regard, USTEC has denounced what they consider "misuse of family contacts by the Catalan Government" and assures that sending the newsletter to parents is "making propaganda" for the agreement signed with CCOO and UGT.

In the email, the Catalan Government detailed the measures agreed upon with CCOO and UGT, among which teachers' salaries are specified. As they had already announced, teachers will have a progressive increase of 30% in their specific allowance over four years and annual salaries will be set at 39,777 euros gross in primary and 44,508 in secondary by 2029. Among the measures that the Department of Education explained to families, the progressive reduction of class sizes in the different educational stages of the system is also included, as well as the incorporation of 300 million euros to promote inclusive education.

None of this has pleased the unions at all. "The Catalan Government intends to use families as an instrument of pressure and manipulation, trying to turn them against the teaching staff," states USTEC in a statement. The majority union reiterates that, in their opinion, the agreement is "unacceptable and insufficient in terms of salaries, class sizes, inclusion, and de-bureaucratization." They also add that families "deserve truthful information and not institutional propaganda." Therefore, USTEC has wanted to call on all teachers and educational support staff (PAE) in Catalonia to contact the families of their schools to send them an alternative letter, "clear and honest."