Hundreds of nursery school workers braved the rain in Barcelona on Saturday to demand better pay and working conditions, kicking off what is set to be a turbulent week of protests across Catalonia’s education sector. Organisers estimated around 3,000 people joined the march, while municipal sources put the figure at approximately 1,500.

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Organised by Plataforma 0-3, a coalition of unions and infant schools, the demonstration saw educators and support staff march from Plaça de Correus to the Parliament of Catalonia. Chanting slogans like “We educate, we don’t babysit” and carrying signs reading “Fewer ratios, more hugs,” protesters demanded an end to years of neglect and precariousness in the crucial 0-3 age group sector.

The ‘Forgotten Sector’ Speaks Out

Protest demands centre on lowering student-to-teacher ratios, which organisers claim are among Europe’s highest. They also seek parity in rights and conditions with teachers in the second cycle of infant education (ages 3-6). The march was held under the banner: “For the 0-3 cycle: 0 excuses, 3 reasons: justice, equity, and future.”

“For years, this educational stage has been relegated and forgotten,” Joan Cela, spokesperson for Plataforma 0-3, told reporters. “We are the first cycle of infant education, and we want to have the same rights as the second. We are dealing with a very complicated situation with five different management models, involving private companies and city councils.”

Educators on the front line shared stories of being stretched to their limits. “They are not thinking about the children’s wellbeing,” said Núria Jofre, an educator from La Roca del Vallès, speaking to betevé. “It’s as if it’s a forgotten stage where children don’t exist, when it’s an incredibly important stage, the beginning of everything.”

Another worker, Imma, from a nursery in Lloret de Mar, criticised the staffing levels. “It cannot be that we have to look after eight babies, who can be as young as four months old, with just one educator and one support person,” she explained. “You just can’t cope.”

A Week of Unrest Ahead

Saturday’s demonstration is the precursor to a wider series of strikes scheduled from 16 to 20 March. Major education unions, including USTEC, CGT, Intersindical, and Professors de Secundària, have called for walkouts across all educational levels.

The broader discontent stems from a new collective agreement signed between the Departament d’Educació of the Generalitat and the unions CCOO and UGT. The signatory unions represent a minority of the workforce, and protesting groups claim the deal is insufficient. They cite a consultation in which 95% of over 40,000 public school teachers in Catalonia rejected the agreement.

This widespread industrial action places significant pressure on the regional government, which already faces challenges with public sector funding. These ongoing issues echo wider problems within Catalonia’s social services. Many organisations there are struggling due to administrative delays in state payments, as Barna.News reported in Catalonia’s Social Sector in Crisis Over Late State Payments.

Government Defends ‘Historic’ Agreement

The Generalitat de Catalunya has defended the contested agreement. Ignasi Giménez, the Secretary of Educational Improvement, described the government’s proposal as an “extraordinary” and “historic” investment of over €300 million.

Speaking to RAC1, he stated the government allocated funds for reducing ratios and deploying resources for inclusive schooling.

“We are in a position to share these measures, implement them, and see them have an effect in the classrooms and on payrolls,” Giménez said. He argued that the deal was a “global agreement” and that it would be difficult to find a proposal with a similar scope. “We cannot solve the problems of the education sector from one year to the next,” he added.

In anticipation of next week’s strikes, the government has decreed minimum services. For nursery schools, the government requires a minimum of 33% staff presence. Infant, primary, and secondary education requires one teacher for every three classrooms, alongside one member of the management team per school. Special education centres must maintain 50% of their staff.

The coming days will prove a significant test for the administration of President Salvador Illa and Education Minister Esther Niubó Cidoncha, as thousands of educators prepare to take their demands from the streets to the picket lines.