Barcelona library staff began an indefinite strike on Tuesday, 26 May, after months of partial walkouts, including strikes on Saturdays. The action affects the Barcelona Library Consortium (CBB) and comes as workers protest what they describe as structural precarity, a lack of professional recognition and the Barcelona City Council’s new working conditions agreement for 2025 to 2028.
The timing is significant for Barcelona readers and students, with only two weeks left before the university entrance exams, known as selectivitat, which are scheduled for 9, 10 and 11 June. Library services are likely to be under pressure during one of the busiest study periods of the year.
The CGT and Intersindical unions, which are calling the strike, say they want dignified working conditions to guarantee a quality service. They say current schedules can force staff into split shifts lasting up to 11 hours a day, and they want their terms to match those of other Barcelona City Council employees.
The unions also say libraries face a historic double discrimination, linked to what they describe as long-standing problems in the cultural sector. They argue that libraries should be recognised for their role as neighbourhood cultural hubs and as social centres that often take on functions usually handled by other municipal services.
To press their case, the unions held a demonstration on Tuesday at 9.30am, starting from Plaça de Sant Jaume and ending at the Library Consortium offices on La Rambla. The indefinite strike means disruption could continue while talks with the city council move forward.
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