'In extremis' meeting between Education and unions 12 hours before the general strike

BarcelonaMeeting in extremis between the Government and education unions. This Tuesday, the Department of Education and union forces are meeting again to seek an agreement that will allow them to unblock the conflict that has been entrenched in Catalan education for months. The meeting was initially called for 12 noon, but has been postponed until 5:30 PM, that is, twelve hours before the fourth general strike day in the sector begins since the beginning of the year, called by USTEC, Professors de Secundària, CGT and Intersindical. A strike for which teachers in subsidized schools have also been called, by the Feusoc union.

This Tuesday's meeting comes after last week saw a rollercoaster in relations between unions and the Government. From a clear rapprochement at the beginning of the week with the resumption of negotiations to a new distancing of positions on Friday, when the salary proposal presented by Education and the counter-proposal from the unions showed that there is still an abyss between the positions defended on one side and the other of the negotiating table.

Given this scenario, it remains to be seen whether the Government will put a new salary proposal on the table this Tuesday, and whether it will convince the unions, even though union forces have been warning for days that the strike for Wednesday has already been called. For now, sources from the Department of Education limit themselves to assuring that they are "working on proposals that help to unblock the conflict", without giving any clues as to where things might lead.

From 40 to 500 euros

At this point, then, the Government and unions continue to be entrenched on how and how much teachers' salaries should be increased, as well as on the number of staff to be allocated to strengthen the workforces and improve support for inclusive education. Regarding salary increases, the unions are asking that by 2029 teachers should earn an additional 478 euros per month and secondary school teachers an additional 544 euros. Furthermore, they are requesting a workforce reinforcement of 6,400 positions.

On the other side of the table, on Friday, the Department of Education offered the unions to increase by 50% the amount of existing allowances – tutoring and digital coordinators – and to create three new ones: co-tutoring for secondary school teachers, an allowance for all teachers in centers of maximum complexity, and an allowance for directing research projects (TR). The move would represent a salary increase for approximately 104,000 teachers in the public and subsidized system (about 85% of the workforce), but would range from 33 euros to a maximum of 208 euros, depending on the allowance. Regarding workforce reinforcement, the Government is proposing 2,300 new positions.

"Students must help those who educate"

This Tuesday, the Union of Students of the Catalan Countries (SEPC) has also called a strike to demand improvements in the education sector. The SEPC has called on secondary and university students to strike on a day that began with about twenty high schools in Barcelona with blocked doors and painted facades. Divided into two columns from the Caterina Albert and Montserrat Roig high schools in Barcelona, a hundred students entered Plaça Universitat at midday to demand improvements in public schools. "There are not enough resources in classrooms to help the teachers, who can't take any more, but also the students," said Jordi, from Barcelona, who joined the protest to support the teachers' demands.

Roc also joined: "As students, we have to help those who educate, especially when there are not enough resources." "Above all, I am against the intrusion of security forces into classrooms, because it is the last place they should be," said the young man, who has joined all the teacher demonstrations he could to support their fight.