Education unions in Catalonia have rejected explanations from Interior Minister Núria Parlon and police chief Josep Lluís Trapero regarding the infiltration of two officers into a teachers' assembly. The officials spoke before the Catalan Parliament on 13 May 2026, but their statements did not satisfy union representatives.
Iolanda Segura, national spokesperson for USTEC, stated that teachers are "neither terrorists nor criminals", arguing that this does not justify a police operation of this nature. Unions are calling for "political accountability" over the infiltration.
Union organisations left the parliamentary session with more questions than answers. "Who assures us this hasn't happened more often? Shouldn't an action like this be overseen by a judge? What data was collected? Who assures us it won't be used during negotiations?" Segura asked reporters outside Parliament. She expressed concern about whether such incidents would recur. Ivan Vázquez, a lawyer for the majority union in the sector, issued a direct warning to Trapero: "I recommend you find a good legal advisor. We will meet in court."
Unions Demand Accountability, Not Apologies
Laura Gené, general secretary of the CGT's teaching federation, strongly criticised the statements from the Interior Minister and the Mossos chief. "We are deeply dismayed. With a PSC like this, we don't need to wait for the far right to arrive," Gené said. She added that the Catalan government has endorsed police infiltrations into social movements, which she described as "unacceptable" and "intolerable". Gené insisted, "This is a matter of trade union rights, it is not a human error. It is a political decision."
Both Minister Parlon and Josep Lluís Trapero apologised to the unions and the public for the police infiltration into the teachers' assembly at the Pau Claris Institute. However, these apologies were not enough to ease the sector's discontent. Gené argued that apologies should have been directed at "the entire education community on strike and all workers in Catalonia".
The CGT general secretary reiterated, "We don't want apologies" because "we are not in a school playground". Instead, unions demand "political accountability" and "a guarantee that these events will not happen again". She said they did not receive these assurances during the parliamentary appearance.
Education Minister to Address Parliament
Following the explanations from Trapero and Parlon, Education Minister Esther Niubó is scheduled to appear before the education committee in Parliament next Tuesday. Niubó will address both the pilot programme to deploy plainclothes Mossos in educational centres and the infiltration of two officers into teachers' assemblies. This was confirmed by the committee's president, Eva García on Wednesday.
