The fourth day of the teaching strike of the week has once again moved the protest to the streets of Lleida, the Alto Pirineo and Arán, with traffic disruptions from early morning and a demonstration at noon in the capital of Segrià. The mobilization began shortly after 07:30 hours with the blocking of the N-240 at the height of the Montserrat church, in Lleida.
The day has left one of the biggest discrepancies of the strike all week. The Departament d'Educació has placed the follow-up at 15.51% in Lleida, the Alto Pirineo and Arán, with data from 79.94% of the centers until 13:00 hours, while USTEC has raised participation to 60%.
A blockade on the N-240 opened the day at 07:30 hours
Around a hundred people gathered at the blockade point for an hour and a half. During the action, protesters overturned containers and used school furniture to start a bonfire, which forced Mossos d'Esquadra and Guardia Urbana to divert traffic.
Afterwards, the protest continued with a march along Rovira Roure avenue to join the main demonstration, called for 12:30 hours in front of the territorial services of the Departament d'Educació.
Also in the Pyrenees region, protesters have blocked the N-230 road at the height of Vilaller since mid-morning.
The protest gathered between 2,000 and 4,000 people in Lleida
The main march in Lleida gathered around 2,000 people according to the Mossos d'Esquadra and 4,000 according to USTEC. During the concentration, there were moments of tension between agents and teachers who were trying to access the entrance of the Departament d'Educació headquarters.
Emili Llorente, from CGT, has denounced police action at that point.
"We will not let this go, we will try to report the mossos who started hitting and pushing" - Emili Llorente, CGT
The protest also coincided with the closure without agreement of the meeting between the Departament d'Educació and the unions. The parties have set a new meeting for next Tuesday.
USTEC demands a proposal for Monday before the sectoral table
Rosa Aguilà, spokesperson for USTEC in Lleida, has attributed the mobilizations to the "inaction of the Government" and has reproached the executive for not wanting to move away from the agreement signed with minority unions. Aguilà has asked that next Monday the Departament bring "a clear and honest proposal" to resume negotiations at the sectoral table on Tuesday.
Aguilà has also admitted the economic cost that the strike has for teachers, although he has defended the strike as a tool to try to reach an agreement that, in his opinion, benefits teachers and public education.
For his part, Jordi Barrufet, secretary of Secondary School Teachers in Lleida, has assured that the Minister of Education arrived at the last sectoral meeting "empty-handed", with no proposals on reducing ratios, salary increases, or disciplinary measures.
Barrufet has also questioned the current model of inclusive education and has asked to review the integration into the regular classroom of students who, in his words, do not yet master the Catalan language or the functioning of the school.
The day of protest ended around 2:00 PM with the lighting of a firecracker in Lleida.