The strike has been reaffirmed with each of their demands being met. The school’s reopening and a raft of grievances, as well as the entire course curriculum, have led them to officially call a five-day strike on March 15, 16, 17, 29, and 30.
There were two unions present at this protest: USTEC-STE (IAC), CCOO, Intersindical-CSC, ASPEPC-SPS, and UGT. The parents’ and teachers’ associations didn’t interfere with the decision but urged the Department of Education to implement it more quickly. However, the response from Minister Josep González Cambray was that the measure was positive and they did not reconsider it.
In recent statements, unions have warned that the shifting school calendar is just another straw that will break the back of educators’ discontent in the education sector. The strike will be on Sept. 5 for elementary school and Sept. 7 for high school, with measures to include adding 6% of GDP towards education and rejecting a 25% Spanish application included in their demands.
Teachers say they are not disappointed with the changes in the calendar and that they are excited. They just want to know that the school days will be different, while they still have a lot of work to do at home. There will be less time for vacation prep at school, but with an intensive day scheduled throughout September during which teachers can also take part in free extracurricular activities such as study sessions until 2:30 and other events until 4 pm.
