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The new Catalan education agreement is signed without photos or public celebrations
The new Catalan education agreement has now been signed, but without an official photo or public celebration. The Govern finalised the deal with CCOO, UGT y ASPEPC in a discreet event, far from the usual institutional staging that typically accompanies major education agreements.
This caution is no accident. The agreement comes after weeks of strikes, protests and tension in schools and institutes, and just days after a vote among teachers overwhelmingly rejected the preliminary deal. Discontent among a significant part of the teaching staff remains very present.
The pact expands on the agreement signed in March and includes several employment and organisational measures. These include a gradual pay rise of around 400 euros over four years, the addition of 6,400 professionals to the education system, and the announcement of 5,000 professorship positions.
It also includes the recovery of the debt from the six-year increments within five years, a long-standing demand from teachers. For the Govern, the package is intended to stabilise the system and bring an end to a cycle of conflict that has marked the academic year.
The problem is that part of the teaching staff does not feel represented by the agreement. In the vote organised by several unions, more than 39,000 teachers voted against it, compared to just over 21,000 in favour. Turnout exceeded 60% of those eligible to vote.
This rejection explains the subdued tone of the signing. The Govern and the unions involved have avoided turning the agreement into a triumphalist image, aware that many classrooms still see the deal as insufficient or out of touch with their real demands.
The tension has also affected the role of the unions. While some defend the agreement as the best possible improvement after months of negotiation, others believe it does not address the accumulated strain from staffing, class sizes, bureaucracy and loss of purchasing power.
The question now is whether the agreement will bring an end to the strikes or if the conflict will continue with new protests. In Catalunya, education once again shows that agreements are not measured only by what is signed at the table, but by the trust they manage to generate in the classroom.