Teachers' strike in Catalonia: Roadblocks and Government's Proposal

Catalan Teachers Block Barcelona; Government Claims Proposal Ready

Wednesday morning. Gran Via, Avinguda Meridiana, and Barcelona's ring roads are blocked to traffic. Groups of teachers have, since early hours, obstructed a dozen motorways and roads across Catalonia, in a strike called by major educational unions. Their demands are fourfold: salary increases to compensate for loss of purchasing power, lower student-to-teacher ratios, reduced bureaucracy, and more resources for student support. Demonstrations were scheduled in Barcelona, Tarragona, Girona, Lleida, and Tortosa for 12:30 PM, and the previous night saw sit-ins at several schools.

What Catalan Teachers Are Asking For and How Much They Earn

The economic core of the conflict is salary. Organizers speak of a sustained loss of purchasing power over decades and demand compensation; concurrently, they call for lower student-to-teacher ratios, a lighter bureaucratic workload, and increased resources for student support. A discomfiting figure circulates in territorial comparisons: nearly 250 euros gross per month less than in Cantabria, a region which, according to the same calculation, pays better with a lower cost of living. This fuels the recurring accusation of being "literally the worst-paid in Spain," a sentiment echoed by those who believe Catalan unions focused more on the independence movement than on payrolls.

The Government's Proposal and Departures in Educational Leadership

Government spokesperson Sílvia Paneque stated on Catalunya Ràdio that the Generalitat has "a proposal ready" and urged unions to come to the negotiating table. In a parliamentary control session, the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau—acting for President Salvador Illa and Education Minister Esther Niubó, both on medical leave—focused on the root of the problem: "This didn't start yesterday; it stems from decades of lost purchasing power." He added that continued work with the teaching community is necessary to reach a "fair" and "responsible" agreement.

Teaching Hours: From 15 to 19 Depending on Who Counts

Here, arithmetic disagreements begin. Countering the image of a profession with "four months of vacation," some argue that weekly teaching hours range between 15 and 18, while others place them at 19, adding administrative work, faculty meetings, tutoring, and parent-teacher encounters to that figure. What constitutes a workday: just classroom teaching or everything done outside it? This is, in reality, the trench for almost all sector strikes.

School Vouchers and Teacher Shortages: The Market Approach

Among the more debated solutions is the school voucher (cheque escolar): allowing families to manage public funds per student and choose which school to attend, with schools competing for enrollment. Proponents of liberalizing access suggest engineers or chemists could teach without a master's degree if salaries were competitive. Opponents counter that the issue isn't a lack of places, but a lack of candidates willing to fill them. Some argue that shortages are already evident in several European countries: students with a teacher for only a few weeks of the course, and schools resorting to videos or multiple substitute teachers.

Classroom Discipline, the Unspoken Issue

A grievance voiced with increasing volume: union demands do not address teacher authority or disciplinary measures. Several teachers maintain that without resolving this, any salary increase will be short-lived. Cases are cited of protracted disciplinary proceedings, disruptive students receiving only a few days' suspension, often in April, and a portion of parents who are seen as uncooperative. The uncomfortable question lingers: what is the point of more money if teaching becomes impossible?

However, the most striking fact isn't in the roadblocks or demonstrations. It's on the payslip: while negotiations proceed, the comparison with other regions—nearly 250 euros gross per month less than Cantabria—remains unanswered. And this figure, more than any rhetoric, explains why the same strike recurs every academic year.