The past year has been marked by a wave of mobilizations in the education sector across Spain, with consecutive strikes, sit-ins in schools, and massive demonstrations. Since the start of the school year, up to twelve autonomous communities have registered teacher stoppages, with the latest in Madrid, where early childhood education teachers have maintained an indefinite strike for four days.
“"They have stretched us like chewing gum. They have been asking us for more and more because they know we cannot say no, but you cannot ask for everything without providing the necessary resources."
Héctor Adsuar, secretary of public school teachers for CCOO at the state level, emphasizes that discontent is widespread. According to CCOO's calculations, student needs have increased by 75% in recent years, while investment to address them has only grown by 26%. Key demands include reducing student-teacher ratios, more resources for classroom complexity, tools to alleviate workload, and salary improvements.
Although the demands are similar, the participation in mobilizations has been uneven. While in Catalonia, Valencia, Galicia, and Asturias, strike adherence has approached 40%, in other communities like Navarra, it has not reached 5%. In Castilla y León, mobilizations were called off after a pre-agreement, and regions such as the Balearic Islands, Castilla-La Mancha, and the Canary Islands have not registered recent strikes.
This scenario could change due to a potential "call effect" following successes in other regions. Jordi Mir, a humanities doctor and professor at Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), explains that "if a mobilization is seen to work in a certain territory, it is more likely to be replicated elsewhere." An example of this contagion is the massive participation in strikes in Valencia, shortly after the Catalan stoppages, both approaching 40% adherence. In Valencia, protests have also focused on defending the Valencian language against PP and Vox policies.
In the Balearic Islands, despite no recent strikes, teacher discontent has intensified due to PP and Vox policies, especially regarding the Catalan language. The Ministry of Education has announced that it will allow teachers without Catalan language requirements to access civil service positions, causing alarm. Furthermore, the Balearic educational community denounces the deterioration of school infrastructure and the increase in violence in schools.
Mir refutes the perception that teachers are always on strike, noting that "historically, teachers would not be among the most mobilized groups." However, he acknowledges that it is a sector with an ease for organizing due to the unifying effect of unions and shared spaces. He also highlights that a teacher strike has a direct impact on daily societal life, unlike other sectors.
In Galicia and Catalonia, the teacher conflict is experiencing a similar moment. Despite agreements for improved conditions negotiated by some unions with the governments, the majority union forces have not endorsed them. In Galicia, a new strike has been called for April 28, while in Catalonia, USTEC has announced new mobilizations to force negotiations with the Government.
