UGT and Comisiones Obreras (CCOO) have called on public, non-university teachers in Castilla y León to strike on November 4, saying frustration has grown over commitments they believe the regional government has failed to meet. The unions say teachers face excessive workloads and pressure, alongside shortages of specialist staff and other support workers.

They point to schools without nurses, sign-language interpreters hired through contractors amid reported payment problems, and overstretched guidance departments. The unions also cite accumulated underinvestment, including heating and maintenance issues. They say around 200 pupils from Dueñas have been travelling to Venta de Baños for four years after their school was demolished because of structural problems.

The action comes amid similar education-sector protests in Madrid, the Valencian Community, Castilla-La Mancha and Andalucía. UGT and CCOO say they want to highlight that education can be organised differently and argue that good educational results should not come at the cost of precarious conditions for teachers.

The strike has not been backed by CSIF, ANPE or Stecyl, which the article identifies as the majority unions and signatories to the latest agreement with the regional Education Department. UGT and CCOO nevertheless expect significant participation and have called on the region’s 30,000 teachers to join the walkout. The regional government has set essential staffing requirements to ensure children can attend school; the calling unions describe those minimum-service provisions as excessive.

The dispute follows negotiations that began with agreed priorities in September of the previous year. A proposal presented in July included fewer classroom hours for teachers over 55 and a tutoring allowance phased in over three years: €20 a month in the first year, then €40 and €60. UGT and CCOO rejected the proposal, saying it did not adequately recognise the time involved in tutoring or address longstanding demands. They also cite high levels of temporary employment, class-size ratios they consider unsuitable for pupils’ needs, and regional salary supplements that they say leave teachers’ pay near the lower end of the scale.

The unions say some commitments have not been fulfilled, others are not being negotiated, and the talks have fallen short of their expectations. Their stated aim, they say, is to dignify the teaching profession and invest in society’s future.

Sources: elDiario.es.