Teacher unions across Catalonia have suspended regional strikes until Thursday, 4 June, so educators can vote on a preliminary agreement with the Generalitat. The move, announced on Saturday, 30 May, follows an afternoon meeting on a deal that includes a €600 salary increase and the hiring of 6,413 new teachers over the next four years.
The strike that had been planned for Thursday in Lleida, Alt Pirineu and Aran is now on hold. It was due to be the final regional walkout in a four-week run of sector-specific strikes, and the unions described the pause as a day of reflection for teachers.
A Catalonia-wide general strike planned for Friday, 5 June, is still set to go ahead. USTEC-STEs and Professors de Secundària said they are keeping that action in place while the consultation is under way.
From 12pm on Monday, 1 June, the main unions, along with CGT and Intersindical, will send the preliminary agreement to teaching staff for review. Educators have until Thursday afternoon to give their views through their corporate email addresses.
USTEC-STEs and Professors de Secundària have not yet said publicly how they will vote. CGT has already said it will campaign for a no vote, after walking out of last Friday's negotiation table and rejecting the government's proposal that the other main unions accepted.
Generalitat president Salvador Illa described the agreement as historic, saying it was a first step to revive the education sector. Education minister Esther Niubó said she expected the pact to be definitive and to help bring an end to the strikes.
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