Hundreds of teachers in Barcelona blocked major access roads, including the Ronda de Dalt and Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes, on Tuesday morning. This marked the first of three planned education strike days across Catalonia, organised by unions that did not accept a recent agreement with the Generalitat.
The initial road closure occurred just before 7am on the B-20 in Santa Coloma de Gramenet, near exit 19, affecting both directions. Soon after, the same road was blocked in Mundet. Around 7am, approximately 100 teachers also closed the Gran Via in the Can Batlló area. Another group of educators blocked the C-32 in Mataró, heading towards Barcelona.
Most education unions called for this strike day on 12 May, as part of a series of mobilisations that include up to 17 days of stoppages between 7 May and 5 June. These dates coincide with the final stretch of the 2025-2026 school year.
Further Protests and Minimum Services
Beyond the school strike and early morning traffic disruptions, the teachers' protests also include a unified demonstration in Barcelona. Unions organised two columns to start walking at 10:30am. One departed from the Llobregat area, starting at Plaça d'Espanya, and the other from the Besòs area, beginning at El Clot station. Both columns were scheduled to converge at 12pm in Plaça Urquinaona, where the main demonstration would then start.
As with the previous strike in March, the Generalitat has set mandatory minimum services for educational centres during the strike days. These minimums vary depending on the educational level, type of centre, and the services provided. All educational centres must have one member of the management team present.
For infant, primary, and secondary schools, the minimum staffing requires one management team member and one teacher for every three classrooms. Nurseries must maintain 33% of their total staff. Special education centres, for students aged 3 to 16, have a minimum staffing level of 50%. School meal services, monitors, cooks, reception staff, extracurricular activities, and support for students with special needs must also operate with half their usual personnel.
