Teachers' unions threaten a week-long strike, and the Education Ministry is open to further negotiations.
The unions reject the proposal for a salary increase of 1,500 euros over four years and call for protests in March.
BarcelonaThe 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.
Stops from March 16th to 20th
Given this scenario, the unions warn that the mobilizations will continue. "We've seen that street pressure works," Segura insisted. In this regard, the unions are maintaining their previously announced plan: a week of strikes between March 16 and 20 in the various regional education services, with a nationwide strike on Friday, March 20, and a large demonstration in Barcelona on the same day. Specifically, all the unions in the sector are calling for a joint strike on Monday, March 16, in schools and institutes in Baix Llobregat, Barcelona, and Barcelonès; Tuesday, March 17, in Tarragona, Terres de l'Ebre, and Penedès; Wednesday, March 18, in Lleida, the Pyrenees, and Central Catalonia; and Thursday, March 19, in Maresme, Vallès Oriental and Occidental, and Girona. Finally, they plan to end the week with a strike across Catalonia on Friday the 20th, which will be accompanied by another joint demonstration in Barcelona.