The Valencian public education faces since this Monday an indefinite strike called by several teaching unions after months of negotiations without agreement with the Ministry of Education. Nearly 80,000 teachers are called to the strike in one of the most important educational conflicts in recent years in the Valencian Community.
The confrontation between unions and the Generalitat comes after weeks of meetings without consensus on issues such as salaries, staffing, bureaucracy, ratios, and working conditions. While the organizing bodies maintain that the Valencian Government's proposals are insufficient, the Ministry insists that it remains open to dialogue and defends the measures already proposed.
These are the main keys to the teacher strike in the Valencian Community.
Who calls the strike?
The call comes from several unions with representation in Valencian public education, including STEPV, CCOO, UGT, CSIF, and ANPE. The union organizations have been denouncing a deterioration of working conditions for months and demanding a global agreement for Valencian public education. According to them, negotiations with the Ministry have not allowed for sufficient progress to be made.
When does it start and how long will it last?
The strike begins this Monday, May 11, and is indefinite. The unions have stated that they will maintain the stoppage until a satisfactory agreement is reached with the Generalitat. In addition to the strike, the organizations plan concentrations, mobilizations, and protests in different parts of the Valencian Community in the coming weeks.
How many teachers does it affect?
The call affects Valencian non-university public education and reaches about 78,000 or 80,000 teachers, according to figures handled by unions and specialized media. The strike affects Early Childhood, Primary, Secondary, Baccalaureate, Vocational Training, and special regime education.
What do the unions claim?
The organizing organizations demand a wide range of labor and educational measures. Among the main requests are salary improvements, recovery of lost purchasing power, reduction of ratios, increase in staff, less bureaucratic burden, and strengthening of public education.
The unions also demand improvements in educational infrastructures and measures to address problems related to air conditioning, attention to diversity, and staff stability.
Another point of conflict is the administrative overload that, according to teachers' complaints, has increased in recent years.
What does the Generalitat Valenciana say?
The Ministry of Education maintains that it keeps negotiations open with the unions and defends that it has already proposed different improvements for the Valencian education system.
The Valencian Government assures that it has made proposals related to an increase in resources, incorporation of teachers, and organizational measures to improve the functioning of the centers.
The regional administration also insists that the strike comes at a particularly sensitive time in the academic year and has asked the unions to keep the dialogue open.
What about the minimum services?
One of the main points of conflict is that of minimum services.
The unions consider that the minimums set by the Generalitat are excessive and denounce that they can limit the right to strike, especially in key courses such as 2nd year of Bachillerato.
The Ministry, for its part, defends that the measures seek to guarantee the basic functioning of educational centers and minimize the impact on students and families.
Can it affect the PAU and the end of the school year?
Yes. The possible impact on the University Entrance Exam (PAU) and on the end of the school year is one of the aspects that is generating the most concern.
The unions have not yet detailed the concrete scope of future mobilizations during the weeks prior to the exams, although the Generalitat has insisted that it is working to guarantee academic normality.
In addition to the PAU, the conflict could affect final evaluations, tutoring, meetings, and other activities planned for the end of the school year.
Will there be mobilizations and protests?
Yes. The unions have announced gatherings and protest events in different Valencian cities coinciding with the start of the strike.
Assemblies and mobilizations in front of educational and administrative headquarters are also planned for the coming days.
The organizing organizations maintain that the objective is to increase pressure on the Generalitat to unblock the negotiation.
Why is this strike important?
The call represents one of the largest recent mobilizations in Valencian public education and reflects the growing discontent among part of the teaching staff.
The conflict also arrives in a context of tension in different autonomous communities over issues related to educational funding, working conditions, and center organization.
While negotiations continue, unions and the Generalitat maintain positions still far apart on the scope of the measures necessary to close the conflict.