Tension is escalating between the Department of Education and the majority union USTEC due to upcoming teacher strikes. The Minister of Education expressed her disagreement with the scale of the mobilizations, deeming them "somewhat disproportionate." In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, she has called a sectoral meeting with all unions for next Thursday, aiming to "assess the situation and explore ways to reduce the climate of tension".
“"We maintain full willingness to meet with the department, but we demand that the meeting be held with a concrete proposal on the table and also a public commitment from the minister to reopen negotiations."
However, the union has warned that it will not participate in meetings it considers "dilatory maneuvers" or that do not effectively address the collective's demands. The background to these protests is a labor improvement agreement that the Government signed with minority unions, but which USTEC and other representatives rejected. The protest calendar will extend throughout May and the first week of June if no agreement is reached.
This situation occurs amidst controversy over the presence of two Mossos d'Esquadra officers at a teachers' assembly at the Pau Claris institute in Barcelona. Various political groups have demanded explanations and accountability for this incident. Furthermore, the union has made public a response from the Department of Interior regarding police actions in previous strikes, where more than 70 teachers were identified or reported, an act that USTEC has described as "political persecution".
