Called by all the unions of Valencian Education, including those close to the PP, and supported by federations of students’ families, thousands of people, shouting “councilor resignation,” have joined a large demonstration to demand salary, labor, and working condition improvements for a group that has been on indefinite strike for eleven days. In the previous demonstration, held on Friday, May 15, more than 35,000 people took to the streets, according to data from the Government Delegation, making it the most significant public mobilization since those called due to the effects of the dana tragedy.
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The march is called by the Plataforma per l’Ensenyament Públic and started at San Agustín square in Valencia, crossing the entire city center. Yesterday, the teachers also blocked the center, and a river of people arrived in different columns at the Ministry of Finance to finally gather at the Plaza de la Virgen in another act of the many mobilizations of a sector at war with the Education councilor, Carmen Ortí. The unions maintain their pressure for the councilor to accept their demands and have announced that tomorrow they will work on a counterproposal to present next Monday to the Ministry of Education. The STEPV Union Action Coordinator, Marc Candela, stated on social media that on Monday at 9 a.m., “they will be waiting for the Education councilor to enter and see if she wants to negotiate” on the document they will present.
The Ministry of Education of the Generalitat Valenciana has proposed several offers to try to end the indefinite strike of public school teachers. The most recent proposal includes a progressive salary increase of up to 200 euros gross per month between 2026 and 2028, as well as a gradual reduction of student-to-class ratios until 2030 and the creation of working groups on staffing, educational inclusion, infrastructure, bureaucracy, and Vocational Training. Commitments have also been included to ensure these improvements are reflected in the budget of the upcoming regional accounts.
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However, the teachers’ unions consider the offer insufficient and continue the mobilizations. The teachers demand a greater salary recovery after years of loss of purchasing power, more hiring of teaching staff, immediate reduction of ratios, less bureaucracy, improved attention to educational inclusion, and a clear plan to strengthen public education and Vocational Training. They also denounce the lack of specificity and schedule in the Ministry’s proposals. According to recent union consultations, nearly 78% of teachers rejected the pre-agreement proposed by Education, and a majority favored continuing the strike.
The march, under the slogan ‘Ja n’hi ha prou: menys burocràcia, menys ràtios, més salari, més plantilla i més valencià’ (Enough is enough: less bureaucracy, fewer ratios, higher salary, more staff, and more Valencian), started at 6:15 p.m. from San Agustín square to walk through the streets of central Valencia. It will end at the Town Hall square. The demonstration has taken place in a festive atmosphere, with many children present, among teachers’ green t-shirts, umbrellas to protect from the sun, and also pink t-shirts to “promote public school,” which they encouraged others to wear.
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