Teachers across Catalonia went on a full education strike on 27 May, with the main pressure felt in Barcelona and other cities across the region. Unions said they were seeking better pay and working conditions, smaller class sizes and measures to support inclusive education.
The strike was called by USTEC, Professors de Secundària, CGT and Intersindical, while talks with the Department of Education continued. The department said 8.43% of staff had joined the strike, based on data from 33.17% of centres by 9.30am. Unions put participation at 60% by 11am.
Protests were held in Barcelona, Girona, Granollers, Lleida, Tarragona and Torredembarra. Further strikes were planned for 28 May in Maresme, Vallès Occidental and Vallès Oriental, and for 31 May in Baix Llobregat and Central Catalonia. For more Catalonia-wide coverage, see our news tag page.
Road closures were reported on the AP-7 near Salt, Torredembarra and Granollers, and on the A-2 in Lleida. In Salt, demonstrators reached the road via the hard shoulder in the northbound direction and blocked both carriageways. Near Torredembarra, about 1,000 protesters first entered the Barcelona-bound carriageway, then blocked the southbound direction too.
In Barcelona, the march began at Pla de Palau and ended at Plaça de les Drassanes. USTEC estimated 15,000 participants. Teachers chanted slogans calling for more educators and the withdrawal of the Mossos from schools, and the protest later merged with a demonstration by teachers from subsidised private schools. Thousands of people in yellow shirts marched through Ciutat Vella in the heat.
In Lleida, more than 500 demonstrators, including teachers, professors and students, marched from the Official School of Languages along the C-12 road to Escoles Alba. In Tarragona, about 700 teachers protested from Rambla Nova to Plaça de la Font, stopping outside the territorial education services. In Girona, police estimated more than 3,000 participants, while unions said the number was double that. In Granollers, thousands gathered to coincide with the International Congress of Educating Cities.
This was the fourth general education strike of the academic year in Catalonia, and the protest cycle was due to continue until 5 June. The Department of Education and unions were due to meet again at 3pm, after both sides had moved closer to an agreement the day before. The department was proposing a universal supplement of about €40 a month from this year, with an overall cost of €78.67 million, but any deal would still need to be validated by teachers.
