The Ustec and CGT unions maintain the strike call for the first day of school after the meeting with Minister Esther Niubó ended without progress. The minister, for her part, has asked for a pause in the mobilizations to work “calmly” on the demands. To this end, she has offered an agenda to discuss aspects of educational quality. “We have to move from a scenario of tension to a constructive one,” she said, claiming the path started with unprecedented mobilized resources and that it must continue with greater advances, but always from a space of “trust.”
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Upon leaving, the union spokesperson, Iolanda Segura, expressed that an agreement was not possible. The ministry, she explained, used the “excuse” of not negotiating if the mobilizations do not stop. In this regard, she indicated that the ball is in Educació’s court and that the holding of new strike calls depends on that. “After this strike, many more may come,” she insisted.
“After this strike, many more may come,” said the spokesperson
However, the spokesperson acknowledged the gains from the agreements of March and May made with three unions, with the participation of Ustec although not ratified by them after the rejection of the teachers’ consultation. “That was thanks to the mobilizations, but it is not enough,” she emphasized. “We ask the group to join the strike on September 8 in public schools,” she added. And she pointed to the provision of resources and the reduction of ratios.
Segura stressed that this strike could have been avoided if the department had presented a scheduling and negotiation proposal in the summer that responded to the demands: “This has not happened,” she lamented.
After Ustec, Niubó met with CGT, another of the unions calling the strike. The representative of this organization regretted the configuration of these meetings of the department with the unions separately, instead of convening the strike committee in which there are also two other minority unions (Intersindical and COS).
Laura Gené, CGT secretary, asked families for understanding due to the difficulties in family reconciliation on the first day of class and because it is the first day of welcoming children starting the school year. “We do not like this situation, but we are defending public education.”
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Likewise, Gené revealed that Educació has expressed that the union demands are not specified and wanted to clarify the type of claims. Gené responded that “the reasons for the strike are the same as before, what is needed are more resources and to stop the educational emergency.”
The secretary appealed to the need to start a “calm and deep reflection” on public education in Catalonia. This phrase aligns with that expressed by the president of the Generalitat a few days ago. Salvador Illa, in an interview with El Periódico, pointed out the importance of establishing a deep reflection on education. He proposed listening to the educational community with a medium and long-term vision, but always with feet on the ground.
The meeting with the unions is part of a series of meetings planned by the ministry to open dialogue with the educational community. On Tuesday, it summoned the Secondary Teachers unions, CC.OO. and UGT, signatories of the educational agreement within the monitoring commission framework, and on Wednesday the central board of directors.
Last Monday, during the presentation of the start of the school year to the press, Niubó explained that her intention was to “build bridges” to try to call off the strike scheduled for next Tuesday, September 8. She admitted regarding that strike called for the first day of school: “It is not the start we would have wanted and expected.”
