Teachers’ unions and the Catalan education department have reached a provisional agreement in Barcelona after 12 hours of talks, including an overnight stay at the Department of Education. The deal offers a monthly salary increase of nearly €450 over four years, and it now needs to be ratified by teachers in a consultation running from Saturday to Monday, according to El Periódico.
The unions Ustec and Professors de Secundària, known as Aspepc, signed the pact. When the new rise is added to a state-level increase for public servants, the total increase will be €599.50 for primary school teachers and €633.58 for secondary school teachers.
The consultation ends on Monday, the same day a regional strike is planned. That strike has not yet been called off. If teachers reject the agreement, Ustec has said it would call a strike for 8 June and would campaign for a yes vote.
The agreement also includes an extra €50 a month in a singular complement over four years, the creation of 5,000 secondary school càtedres, and the recovery of estadis debt. The education department says the three salary measures will cost about €726 million, with more than €14 million for the càtedres, between €300 million and €350 million for the estadis debt over five years, and around €300 million for the singular complement.
Beyond pay, the pact includes 6,304 positions for inclusive education, a point that had appeared in a previous document on Thursday but was delayed in the pre-agreement. It also sets out a goal of 85% permanent staff within two years, annual competitive examinations for more than 5,000 vacant posts, the removal of interviews, a cap of 3% on profiled positions, less bureaucracy, more administrative staff, and a gradual reduction in student-to-teacher ratios to 20 in primary and 25 in secondary schools.
CGT walked out of the talks and said the new pact does not include its red lines, including a commitment not to close any public school lines or to internalise support staff. The union said it will campaign for a no vote and keep its planned strikes for the rest of the term. The agreement also leaves unresolved the future of school trips and excursions for next academic year, and it does not include a pledge not to close public school lines, a key demand from the aFFaC parents’ association.
For more Catalonia education coverage, see our news page.
