Thousands of teachers walked out of classrooms and onto the streets of Barcelona on Monday, kicking off a week of planned strikes by blocking major access roads and marching through the city centre to demand better pay and working conditions.
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This industrial action caused significant travel disruption during the morning commute, directly challenging a recent pay agreement signed by the Catalan government and two unions. Striking unions argue the deal is insufficient, having been brokered without support from the majority of the teaching workforce.
Early on Monday, protesters organised “slow marches,” bringing traffic to a standstill on key arteries like the Ronda de Dalt ring road and the A-2, C-31, and C-32 motorways. Consequently, the Catalan Transit Service reported long tailbacks, with queues reaching up to 13 kilometres on the A-2 between Cornellà de Llobregat and Pallejà, according to La Vanguardia. Additionally, around 200 demonstrators briefly occupied an office of the Catalan Institute of Finance on Gran Via.
A Disputed Pay Deal
The Ustec, Aspepc, and CGT unions called the strike after rejecting a pact signed last week between the government’s Department of Education and the CCOO and UGT unions. Although the government hailed the agreement as “historic,” the dissenting unions, who hold a majority representation in the education sector, claim it fails to address core issues. Indeed, a recent survey they conducted suggested that 95% of teachers opposed the deal.
However, dissatisfaction stems from a belief that the agreement does not go far enough. While it includes a pay rise, many educators feel it falls short of what is needed to address years of underfunding. In fact, the unions leading the strike have been campaigning for what they term a full “reversal of cuts” made during the last decade’s financial crisis. This is not the first time industrial action has been threatened over this issue. Previously, Barna.News reported how the largest union vowed to continue striking even as a pay deal was being finalised.
The central demonstration on Monday afternoon saw thousands march from Plaça Urquinaona to the government seat in Plaça Sant Jaume. The main banner, for instance, read: “Enough is enough, better working conditions now. In education: more salary, more resources, smaller ratios, less bureaucracy.” Notably, the logos of the CCOO and UGT unions were conspicuously crossed out on the banner, highlighting the deep division within the sector.
Conflicting Figures and Rising Tensions
The strike’s impact remains a point of contention. The Department of Education stated that, based on data from 78% of schools, 29% of staff in Barcelona and Baix Llobregat joined the walkout. However, the Ustec union countered this, claiming participation reached 65% in the affected areas.
The morning’s road blockades led to tense moments with the Catalan police, the Mossos d’Esquadra. Officers identified protesters and checked their belongings. Union sources reported police threatened to use batons to clear the roads.
This prompted a sharp warning from Iolanda Segura, USTEC’s national spokesperson. “If there is a single baton strike, we will escalate the conflict even further and paralyse the country,” she wrote on social media, adding: “Violating our right could cost you dearly.”
Monday’s action was the first in a series of staggered regional strikes planned throughout the week, culminating in a Catalonia-wide general strike on Friday. Organisers said today’s turnout will serve as a “thermometer” to measure discontent and set the tone for the rest of the week’s protests. These protests are part of a broader pattern of unrest among educational staff, including recent demonstrations by nursery school employees and teachers in L’Hospitalet.
