Indefinite strike hits Madrid public schools from Oct 14

The education strike Ayuso cannot ignore

Madrid's public education sector has reached a breaking point. Since Wednesday, October 14, 2026, unions CC OO, UGT, STEM, CNT, and Solidaridad Obrera have maintained an indefinite strike involving 65,000 non-university teachers serving over 666,000 students from preschool to high school and vocational training. The Community of Madrid invests the least per student in public education: €6,502 annually compared to the national average of €7,943, according to the latest available data from 2023. That is 18% less. Meanwhile, it tops the cost of living in Spain, with housing as the main symbol. Education Minister Mercedes Zarzalejo labeled the mobilization "political and unnecessary." The organizers counter that it is the only way to force negotiations that Isabel Díaz Ayuso's executive has avoided since August.

The six demands that broke the deadlock

The union proposal is not whimsical. It seeks to reduce weekly teaching hours to 17 in secondary school and 22 in primary and preschool (from 19 and 25, respectively); lower student-to-teacher ratios by adding specialized staff for diversity; tackle socioeconomic segregation between public and semi-private networks; increase teacher salaries by €600 per month; reduce bureaucratic workload; and improve infrastructure, including climate control and asbestos removal. These six points have been on the table for months. In late August, unions sent a letter to the minister. Zarzalejo expressed willingness to "listen," but shortly after dismissed the strike as "political and unnecessary." In mid-September, Ayuso announced negotiations on professional career pogre that could result in "up to €350 more per month." The unions rejected calling off the strike, arguing the regional government was trying to impose negotiations no one had requested.

The union front differs from Valencia or Catalonia

In the Valencian Community and Catalonia, teachers engaged in intense disputes with their administrations last year. Both ended with partial agreements: salary increases and, in Catalonia, staffing reinforcements. Here, the union front is narrower. ANPE and CSIF, the second and third most represented unions in recent Madrid public education elections, have not joined the unified call. However, CSIF has independently called for full-day strikes from Wednesday to Friday and indefinite partial stoppages starting next week. Aida San Millán, general secretary of the CC OO education federation in Madrid, puts it bluntly: "Madrid teachers see that in Valencia and Catalonia, protests led to improvements despite better conditions there. They say: we won't be the fools of Spain."

The real ratio: 1.6 teachers per group

The debate on class size involves arithmetic traps. An ESO (lower secondary) student accumulates about 30 weekly sessions. A secondary teacher delivers 19 hours in Madrid, according to the strike notice. Covering one group's schedule requires 30/19, meaning 1.6 teachers, even if roles aren't split. With groups of 28 students, this yields a ratio of about 17 students per teacher. The figure drops due to factors often omitted in headlines: split classes, electives, and support. Students per classroom and students per teacher are distinct metrics. Confusing them leads to flawed arguments. The cited ratio of 11 students per class does not withstand scrutiny against official data.

Cost of living devours teacher salaries

The salary argument isn't just about comparisons with other regions. Madrid spends the least per public student but has the highest housing costs. A teacher in Tetuán or Vallecas doesn't compete with a colleague in Soria; they compete with their own neighborhood's rent. Walter Post Villacorta, a tutor at Ignacio Zuloaga school, states at age 58: "Temperatures weren't this extreme before. Life gets more expensive while our salaries haven't been updated." Laura Peinado Jiménez, 36, a teacher at the same school, adds: "We have many students with needs, requiring more time for lesson prep and more hands for individualized attention." The school in Tetuán district faced the first strike day uncertain about minimum services. Most staff wanted to strike and take to the streets.

Wear and tear of the official narrative

The regional government tried to defuse the conflict via three paths: labeling it political, opening parallel negotiations on career pogre, and hoping for low turnout. None worked. The indefinite strike coexists with antiestéticars that private and semi-private schools might absorb students if the academic year collapses. The toll isn't just economic; each strike day erodes relations with families, who hold significant electoral weight in Madrid. The minister said she was willing to listen. Listening is not negotiating. Unions have shown they won't settle for a meeting.

What happens next

Precedents from Valencia and Catalonia suggest partial agreements after weeks of pressure. In Madrid, the calendar works against the executive: the strike is indefinite, and wear accumulates in schools, not ministries. The question isn't if Ayuso will sit down, but how much political cost she'll pay before doing so. With 666,000 affected students and 65,000 teachers on war footing, maneuvering room shrinks daily. The most reasonable prediction is a phased agreement with salary hikes and some gesture on ratios. But no one has signed yet.