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Strike week in Catalonia's classrooms: thousands of teachers bring education to a halt
Catalan schools begin the week with mass stoppages. The pay dispute between unions and the Generalitat leaves thousands of families awaiting changes. Tension in public education is spilling onto the streets. The union action seeks to repeat February's historic mobilisation.
The start of the week in Catalonia begins with uncertainty in classrooms and homes: thousands of teachers are taking part in a new wave of strikes called by the Ustec, Aspepc and CGT unions. The conflict breaks out after they rejected the latest pay agreement signed between the Departament d’Educació and CCOO-UGT, rekindling discontent over working conditions and outstanding pay. The unions seek to repeat the impact of 11 February (70,000 teachers on strike and empty classrooms) to force the Generalitat to reopen negotiations. The protest mainly affects public schools in Barcelona and its metropolitan area, with demonstrations and rallies scheduled throughout the week.
Families must reorganise their schedules and seek alternatives in the absence of classes, while tension between unions and the administration moves onto the streets.
This strike is not merely a union dispute: it paralyses public education in the middle of the school year, makes balancing family life more difficult, affects the performance of thousands of pupils and puts planning for the next school year at risk. With Ustec driving the main mobilisations of the past decade, the outcome will shape the immediate future of Catalan education and confidence in the Generalitat's management of education.