The Department of Education has closed an agreement with the CCOO and UGT unions to improve the working and salary conditions of teaching staff in Catalonia. The measure affects 129,327 teachers in public and subsidized education throughout the autonomous community.
Salary increase and new conditions for the teaching staff
The agreement contemplates a 30% increase in the autonomous salary supplement, which will be applied progressively over the next four years. In 2029, Catalan teachers will earn about 3,000 euros more annually than at present. The gross annual salary of a primary school teacher will be 39,777 euros and that of a secondary school teacher will reach 44,508 euros.
The Government foresees that, with this increase, Catalan teaching staff will become the third best remunerated in Spain, only behind Euskadi and Cantabria. Currently, Catalonia occupies the third position from the bottom in teaching salaries, only ahead of Asturias and Aragon.
The salary increase will be 1,257 million euros, distributed between 633 million for primary and 624 million for secondary. The increase will be distributed as 8.5% in 2024, 9% in 2027, 6.25% in 2028 and 6.25% in 2029. The specific regional supplement, which had not been modified since 2001, will reach 2,960.79 euros in early childhood and primary education and 3,027.49 euros in secondary education in 2029.
The increases will be paid in a single payment each year. This year it will be made in the second quarter and in subsequent years during the first quarter. This agreement does not include the 11% salary increase agreed with the State for all public workers.
Other improvements and reinforcement of the inclusive school
The agreement also contemplates the payment of 50 euros per night for school camp days. In addition, 299 million euros are allocated to reinforce inclusive education and 23.2 million euros for a remuneration supplement to Educational Support Staff (PAE), who will receive between 290 euros and 473 euros monthly according to category.
Around 395 million euros will be invested to progressively reduce the number of students per classroom during the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 academic years. At the end of this period, the ratio will be 20 students per classroom in early childhood and primary education, 25 in ESO, 30 in Baccalaureate, 20 in basic vocational training cycles, and 25 in intermediate and higher cycles.
The pact includes 87.6 million euros to consolidate 300 socio-educational figures, the generalization of social integration technicians in primary school and social educators in secondary school starting from 2027-2028, as well as 6.3 million euros for endowments in special education centers and the creation of up to 80 new groups next academic year.
Also foreseen is the incorporation of 85 Hearing and Language teachers in the next two academic years, with an investment of 3.8 million euros, and the creation of 16 new Comprehensive Support Classrooms. The progressive deployment of healthcare figures in the centers will be assumed by qualified professionals.
The global investment of the pact amounts to 2,000 million euros.
Supervision and review of administrative procedures
A commission will be responsible for deploying the agreement and for reviewing administrative procedures to suppress those that do not provide pedagogical value and simplify the essential ones. This commission will ensure that non-teaching tasks are assumed by the corresponding profiles and thus protect the non-teaching schedule intended for pedagogical actions.
The agreement also promises to review the cataloging of the complexity of the centers and reception classrooms. Additionally, the department will promote a legislative initiative so that the teaching staff of the Sistema d"Educació de Catalunya is considered a public authority in the exercise of their teaching and educational functions.
Union division and call for strikes
The unions Ustec, Aspepc-Professors de Secundària and CGT have not supported the agreement and maintain the call for strikes for next week. These organizations consider that the proposal continues to be insufficient.
"The current salary supplement should be doubled with about 700-800 euros more per month, since, according to their calculations, in recent years, teaching staff have suffered a 25% loss of purchasing power" - Iolanda Segura, spokesperson for Ustec
"The Department of Education has not proposed any substantial measure that improves teachers' remuneration"
"The increase of about 200 euros per month in four years is insulting" - Ignasi Fernández, general secretary of Secondary School Teachers
The negotiation remains open in a context of union mobilization and with attention focused on the progressive application of the agreed measures.