Teachers in Tarragona took to the streets on Thursday, 7 May 2026, to demand improved working conditions and increased resources for public education. The protests, which included a demonstration by pre-school professionals, mark the start of a month of planned mobilisations across Catalonia.
Around 400 pre-school professionals gathered at Plaça de la Font at 12pm, calling for their roles to be recognised within the education system. Later in the day, at 5:30pm, a separate protest organised by the educational staff assembly of Tarragonès and Baix Camp started, aiming to cut traffic at Les Gavarres.
Planned Strikes and Protests
The current wave of protests includes three general strikes for primary and secondary education across Catalonia: Tuesday, 12 May; Wednesday, 27 May; and Friday, 5 June. In the Camp de Tarragona and Terres de l'Ebre regions, additional strikes are planned for 21 May and 3 June.
Demonstrators are calling for higher teacher salaries, less bureaucracy, and reduced class sizes. Chants heard during the protests included "Mestres perillosos ens ensenyen a pensar" (Dangerous teachers teach us to think) and "Pressupostos militars per a escoles i hospitals" (Military budgets for schools and hospitals).
Carlos Alcalde, a spokesperson for the Tarragonès and Baix Camp educational staff assembly, explained that their sector does not have a large economic impact when striking. For this reason, they decided to block one of the exits at the Les Gavarres roundabout, aiming to maintain the disruption until after 7pm. The platform stated, "We have to attack from different flanks," indicating a desire to unite with families and create an economic impact.
Traffic Disruption and Government Response
Transports de Tarragona (EMT) warned that traffic at the accesses and exits of Les Gavarres would be cut between 5:30pm and 8pm due to the protest, causing service disruptions. Earlier, the morning protest caused cuts on major city streets, including Rambla Vella and the lateral of Rambla Nova, as teachers marched towards the Subdelegation of the Government.
The Department of Education reported a 9.01% follow-up rate for Thursday's strike in Generalitat-owned nursery schools and rural schools with first-cycle infant education. These figures, collected at 10:45am from 45.53% of centres, do not include municipal, state-subsidised, or private nursery schools, nor other groups called to strike, such as cleaning or leisure staff.
Key Demands and Broader Context
A primary demand from teachers is a reduction in class sizes, known as ratios. They warn that classrooms are under pressure, with 8, 13, and 20 children for the 0-1, 1-2, and 2-3 age groups respectively. This situation worsens when an educator is absent or a child has special needs. A common slogan during the pre-school protest was "No som guarderies, és educació" (We are not nurseries, it is education).
The Catalan government faces significant challenges in the education sector. President Salvador Illa is managing three main issues: the largest sector union distancing itself from an agreement between the government, CC.OO, and UGT; opposition to educational outings; and complaints about a plan to assign Mossos d'Esquadra officers to institutes.
Looking ahead, a unitary demonstration is scheduled for Barcelona on Wednesday, 20 May, coinciding with a new specific call for the 0-3 cycle. Each territory in Catalonia will see five days of strike action by 5 June.
