More than 500 teachers, students, and education professionals demonstrated this Wednesday in Lleida during the second day of strike called throughout Catalonia. The march started at 9:30 a.m. in front of the EOI of Lleida and advanced along the C-12 road to Escoles Alba.
The protest comes after the Departament d'Educació has opened a new round of dialogue and has moved part of its proposal, but the unions maintain the pressure because they consider that the improvements put on the table are not enough. The main discrepancy is in salary, with an increase of between 35 and 50 euros, which USTEC, CGT, Professors de Secundària, and Intersindical consider insufficient.
Unions place the rejected increase between 35 and 50 euros
Rosa Aguilà, spokesperson for USTEC in Lleida, argued that the strikes have been "useful" to unblock the situation and modify part of the previous agreements. Even so, she maintained that the negotiation cannot be considered closed with the current proposal.
"The strikes have been useful" - Rosa Aguilà, spokesperson for USTEC in Lleida
The Departament d'Educació has acknowledged the debt of the sexenios and has reduced the period to increase the specific complement from four to three years. This move has been interpreted by the organizing bodies as a direct effect of the mobilization, although not as a sufficient solution.
Emili Llorente, delegate of the CGT in Lleida, stated that the Departament "has moved" due to the pressure of the protests, but criticized the lack of concrete details in the meetings. Jordi Barrufet, representative of Professors de Secundària, also described the salary proposal as insufficient, although he framed it as a first step.
The march in Lleida pressures while the conflict remains under negotiation
This Wednesday's call brought together teachers, students, and other professionals from the educational field in a route between two very specific points in the city, the EOI of Lleida and Escoles Alba. The route along the C-12 turned the mobilization into a visible protest at one of the entrances to the capital of Segrià.
In addition to the salary debate, Barrufet positively valued the commitment to pay the sexenios. The claim has its own history and is currently being litigated in the High Court of Justice of Catalonia.
Aguilà warned that a strike indefinite remains on the table if negotiations do not advance in the coming weeks. He also specified that any eventual agreement will be submitted to a vote of the entire teaching staff before accepting it.
The four organizing bodies maintain that the protest has opened a new phase of negotiation with the Department of Education. Barrufet placed among the points that have gained weight the payment of the sexenios, a historical demand that remains pending resolution in the High Court of Justice of Catalonia.