Teacher strike participation drops to 10% coinciding with Pope's arrival and university entrance exams

Teachers protest dressed as religious figures to demand better labor and educational conditions.

Generic image of protesters dressed as popes and cardinals demonstrating in Barcelona.
IA

Generic image of protesters dressed as popes and cardinals demonstrating in Barcelona.

Teacher strike participation in Catalunya has dropped to 10% this Friday, according to data from the Department of Education, on a day marked by the Pope's arrival in Barcelona and the start of university entrance exams.

Five days after rejecting an agreement with the Department of Education, teachers have taken to the streets again. The protest coincided with the Pope's arrival in Barcelona, prompting some teachers to dress up as popes and cardinals to criticize the public administration's "charity." The main slogan of the demonstration was "No miracles, only labor rights and quality public services," while demands were also made for improvements in class sizes, professional categories, teacher dignity, and early childhood education (0-3 years).
The march, called by several unions including USTEC, CGT, Intersindical, CNT, and COS under the slogan "We demand facts, not miracles," began at 11 AM in Plaça Espanya. The unions had called for "collapsing" the city. According to the organizers' estimates, 45,000 teachers attended the demonstration.