The Catalan government is not planning any concessions to the major education unions, including USTEC, Professors de Secundària, CGT, and Intersindical. These unions have called for new strikes and protests across Catalonia between 12 May and 5 June.
The unions maintain their demands from throughout the academic year and reject an improvement agreement reached by the education department with minority unions Comissions Obreres and UGT. Despite widespread teacher rejection, the government insists it will not alter this agreement.
"We continue to extend a hand to the non-adhering union forces should they wish to join us in implementing this agreement," said Sílvia Paneque, government spokesperson, after the executive council meeting. She noted that government agreements to implement the deal were approved last week, arguing the proposal is the best the government can offer. "It is not only what is possible, based on reality and the resources we have, but the most important agreement offered by a government to the educational community," Paneque added.
Unions Demand Rectification
Education unions said this morning that the government has remained inflexible despite significant protests in recent months. "There is no acceptable proposal on the table nor any willingness to correct course," said Ramiro Gil, secretary of Professors de Secundària, who called for "a deep and immediate rectification." Marc Martorell, spokesperson for Intersindical Educació, added that without an alternative agreement supported by all workers, the strikes would not be cancelled.
Paneque, however, defended the agreement with Comissions Obreres and UGT, stating it improves teachers' working conditions and the education system. "There are agreements to expand staff, to reinforce specific agents in the educational field that also go in this direction," she said. Paneque affirmed the government respects the right to strike but urged major unions to accept the agreement and participate in its implementation. "One can continue with the strike, but at the same time support measures that, although not 100% of what one would want, are still beneficial."
According to Paneque, "everything that had been put on the table is being addressed," but this is conditional on "the resources we have at this moment." She referred to this as the "principle of reality," adding, "These are resources that had never been provided before."
Police Presence in Schools
Beyond labour demands, the education community is also concerned about a pilot plan launched this week in some Catalan secondary schools to deploy plainclothes Mossos d'Esquadra officers. Protests are occurring in the selected schools, but Paneque defended the initiative today as a proposal originating from some school managements.
"We need teachers, not police officers": growing rejection of agents' presence in schools.
"It has been treated as an innovative measure coming from the educational community and the sector itself, as an element that can preventively improve cohesion or different conflicts that may arise in the context of a school or institute," the government spokesperson said. Addressing concerns, she clarified that it is currently only a pilot programme, its results will be evaluated later, and only centres that requested it are participating. Consequently, she made it clear the plan would not be withdrawn: "We will continue with the deployment."
Education Minister Esther Niubó is expected to explain the measure for the first time this afternoon. The plan became public after a leak to El País just days before its launch. Paneque has set the government's position, which, as with the agreement with Comissions Obreres and UGT, is unwilling to change. "It is an innovative measure requested by a part of the educational community, which suggests that programmes of this type could prevent conflicts that can occur in the educational environment." The government's main partners, ERC and Comuns, have called for the measure to be withdrawn and for the minister to appear in parliament to discuss it.
