The education unions critical of the agreement between Educació, CCOO and UGT have announced a cycle of strikes for one month, between May and June, with the intention of intensifying the conflict in the third quarter. The call comes from the union majority formed by USTEC, Aspepc, CGT and the Intersindical and arrives after a massive consultation with the teaching staff that received more than 31,000 responses.
The protest will follow the same model as the March strike, although with more strike days. The bulk of the calendar will be articulated with 12 territorialized strikes, to which will be added three days of general strike throughout Catalonia and two specific days for infant staff from 0 to 3 years old, that is to say, of the nursery schools.
Calendar of strikes between May and June
The calendar starts in May with two sessions aimed at staff aged 0 to 3 years, scheduled for Thursday 7 and Wednesday 20. Between both dates, the unions have set a unitary demonstration for all of Catalonia for Tuesday 12.
That same month, territorialized strikes have been scheduled in different demarcations. On Wednesday 13, Baix Llobregat and Penedès are called to strike. On Thursday 14, it will be the turn of Girona and Catalunya Central. On Friday 15, Lleida and Alt Pirineu i l"Aran.
The call will continue on Monday 18 in the Consorci de Barcelona and the Barcelonès, and on Tuesday 19 in the Maresme, the Vallès Occidental and the Vallès Oriental. On Thursday 21 the strike day has been set in the Camp de Tarragona and the Terres de l"Ebre. Additionally, on Wednesday 27 a Catalan-wide strike has been called.
In June, new territorialized days are planned. Monday 1st in Girona and the Catalunya Central. Tuesday 2nd in the Consorci de Barcelona and the Barcelonès. Wednesday 3rd in the Camp de Tarragona and the Terres de l'Ebre. Thursday 4th in Lleida and the Alt Pirineu i l'Aran. Friday 5th another unitary demonstration for all of Cataluña will be held.
Rejection of the agreement and warning to the Govern
During a press conference held this Tuesday morning, the representatives of the teaching collective rejected the so-called country agreement. The conveners maintain that it does not respond to the real needs of the centers nor of the teaching staff.
"The educational community has spoken clearly. The country agreement has been massively rejected and does does not respond to the real needs of the centers nor of the teaching staff" - Union spokespersons, teaching collective
The unions have warned that, if the Govern does not commit to reopening negotiations and does not present a proposal they consider worthy, the school year will not end normally. They have also called on the educational community to get involved in the zone assemblies, strengthen the school ones, and prepare a sustained mobilization.
Faculty Claims
Among the main demands of the conveners is the recovery of the purchasing power of the teaching staff and the guarantee of decent wages. They also demand an increase in educational investment to reduce class sizes in classrooms and improve student attention.
To this they add the elimination of bureaucratic overload through a plan negotiated with the union majority and a review of the current curricula counting on the opinion of the teaching staff. In parallel to the strikes, the centers have already organized themselves to apply other pressure measures, such as stopping doing school trips or not correcting research papers.