Major education unions have called for seven days of strikes in Barcelona's schools and nurseries between 7 May and 5 June, impacting the end of the 2025-2026 school year.
Five strike days are planned for schools and secondary schools, with two additional days specifically for 0-3 year-old nurseries. This new wave of protests follows significant mobilisations in March.
Strike Calendar and Minimum Services
The key strike dates for Barcelona's educational centres are 12 May, 18 May, 27 May, 2 June, and 5 June. Nurseries will also see strikes on 7 May and 20 May. Private subsidised schools will join the action on 12 May, 27 May, and 5 June.
The Department of Labour has set minimum services for these strikes, consistent with previous actions. Most centres must ensure the presence of one member of the management team and one teacher for every three classrooms.
Union Demands and Government Pact
Two unified demonstrations are planned to coincide with the start and end of the strike calendar: on Tuesday 12 May and Friday 5 June. The strike call, organised by USTEC-STEs, Professors de Secundària (ASPEPC-sps), CGT, and Intersindical, represents a challenge to the Department of Education.
Unions are demanding a return to negotiations for improvements for both staff and classroom support. The protests stem from the unions' rejection of a pact between the government and CCOO and UGT, which the Department of Education called a "historic agreement". The majority unions say this agreement was "signed behind the backs of the majority".
Among their demands, unions seek to restore teachers' purchasing power, increase education investment to reduce class sizes, improve support for diversity in classrooms, eliminate bureaucratic overload, and revise current curricula with teacher input.
Iolanda Segura, spokesperson for USTEC-STEs, stated that an agreement is necessary to call off the strikes, adding that "words are not enough". Unions warn that without a "dignified proposal" to meet their demands, the school year will not end normally.
