The impact of the DANA on October 29 is measured not only in mud but also in unprecedented economic paralysis. According to reports from the Valencia Chamber of Commerce and the Generalitat, the disaster struck more than 54,000 companies and put the livelihood of over 190,000 workers at risk, affected by ERTEs, reduced working hours, and layoffs. With nearly 10,000 shops and local businesses devastated, the reconstruction of the ground zero area demands a specialized workforce that the current market cannot supply.

This Tuesday, negotiations between the Departament de Educació and the unions resume to resolve the educational conflict in Catalunya. They do so amid a call for a series of strikes and demonstrations that, if supported by public school teachers as they have been so far, will especially pressure the city of Barcelona and its metropolitan area this week. This occurs in a context of rising temperatures that will increase the initiatives of teachers throughout Catalunya to take desks and tables to the streets to highlight the lack of air conditioning in school buildings.

Reducing the number of students per classroom, one of the main demands of the teaching staff, will cost more than 5 billion euros per year and, however, will have a “limited” impact on student learning, according to a study by EsadeEPol. This conclusion contradicts the practically unanimous demand of the teaching staff and has led the Administration to develop new regulations.