Library-service representatives from Lleida, Terres de l’Ebre and Camp de Tarragona met at Biblioteca Xavier Amorós in Reus on Monday, 7 September, to compare local problems and consider whether to join strike action called for 18 September.

For library users, the action could disrupt public libraries and bookmobiles within Catalonia’s public reading system if local staff take part. Residents planning to use a library on Friday 18 September should check their local library’s website before travelling.

Canal Reus reported that the meeting focused on the differing circumstances in each area, despite some shared concerns. Participants were also briefed on demands raised by library workers in Barcelona.

Four strike dates announced for public libraries

Biblioteques en Lluita, a staff protest platform, and the CGT union’s library-sector coordination group have announced four strike days across Catalonia this autumn. The call applies to public libraries and bookmobiles in the Sistema de Lectura Pública de Catalunya, the Catalan public reading network.

  • Friday 18 September
  • Friday 16 October
  • Friday 13 November
  • Friday 11 December

The Reus representatives were assessing which elements of the action could apply outside Barcelona, where library staff have already held an indefinite strike process. Canal Reus did not report a decision by the territorial services to join the 18 September stoppage.

“Without decent conditions, we cannot provide a quality public service,” Laura Solà, director of Sant Cugat del Vallès’s Volpelleres Miquel Batllori library and a CGT prevention delegate at Barcelona Provincial Council, said during the earlier dispute.

Staff cite municipal dependence and limited resources

Representatives at the Reus meeting identified dependence on town and city councils as a major weakness. They argued that individual local authorities cannot independently manage a public-reading network of this scale and called for stronger coordination between administrations to improve funding and working conditions.

The concerns match demands published by the library protest movement, including more staff, cover for sickness absence and leave, and working hours compatible with family life. The groups say staffing shortages can lead to suspended services and, in some municipalities, closures of libraries staffed by only one person.

A [RACO dossier](https://raco.cat/index.php/Item/article/download/312426/402960/442975) on support for municipal libraries states that a shared arrangement between provincial councils and municipalities is “key” to guaranteeing jointly managed support services. The Reus meeting discussed a territory-wide network that could coordinate this support.

Users should check opening information directly with their local library ahead of each of the four announced strike dates, particularly before making a journey to borrow materials, study or use scheduled services.

Reported by canalreus.cat, eldiario.es, ara.cat, Llibertat.cat, raco.cat, diaridegirona.cat, Canal Reus.