Ustec and Secondary Teachers call off the strikes planned for this week in Girona, Barcelona, Tarragona, and Lleida from Monday to Thursday. However, they maintain the call for a strike on June 5, Friday, which they could cancel depending on the result of the consultation on the pre-agreement signed with the Government and which will be known on Thursday.
The two main unions signed a pre-agreement with Educació that raises teachers’ salaries by almost 400 euros per month over four years and incorporates 6,400 professionals to improve the conditions of inclusive schooling. This agreement, celebrated today, Saturday, by President Salvador Illa, represents an investment of 2.72 billion euros over the next four years.
Intersindical and CGT, minority unions, maintain the strike call for the whole week. They understand that the cycle of strikes in May and June responds to the consultation carried out with teachers about the March agreement and that they can only be called off with the approval of another consultation.
Ustec, CGT, Intersindical, and COS will send the consultation on the pre-agreement to all teaching staff in Catalonia starting Monday at 12 noon and will keep it open until Thursday at the same time. They consider these as “days of reflection.” Meanwhile, Secondary Teachers will open the consultation to their members on Sunday at 8 a.m. until Thursday.
The negotiations at the sectoral table have been very tense this week in a context of mobilizations and demonstrations throughout Catalonia. Finally, on Friday, Ustec and Secondary Teachers accepted the Government’s offer, which involves signing the March 9 agreement along with an annex with new measures. This pre-agreement, from which CGT withdrew, was conditioned on a consultation with all Catalan teachers.
In this way, the unions did not want to break the commitment to union unity after CGT, with representation, Intersindical, and COS left the negotiation table in disagreement with the agreed measures. They consider that aspects for which the base has expressed itself, such as ratios—yes negotiated but believed insufficiently—the salary guarantee clause, or the labor improvement of educational support staff, have not been negotiated. Therefore, they will campaign for a no vote on the pre-agreement.
The workers’ assemblies have proposed that only those who have mobilized vote
Likewise, the workers’ assemblies that have promoted numerous initiatives on strike days would not be fully in favor. In any case, the Education Assembly of Catalonia, which groups the rest of the territorial educational center assemblies, has stated that the vote should concern only the workers who have mobilized.
Finally, CGT, Intersindical, and COS have agreed to call off the strike and evaluate the result of the consultation and decide on the continuation of mobilizations afterward. The unions had registered a call for an indefinite strike starting June 8, coinciding with the visit of Pope Leo XIV.
Both Ustec and Secondary Teachers defend the educational pact achieved, which is the “best” possible agreement given the circumstances in which it was negotiated. They recall that 389 euros of the regional supplement have been obtained and “we could not raise more.”
They have also achieved the call for 5,000 professor positions and the return of the stadium debt affecting 30,000 teachers.
