Last Friday, the Department of Education sent a massive email to parents whose children are in public school. The government’s letter states that they understand the concern that the strike days they are called for can cause for their parents and that they have been making a “strong effort” for years to improve the working conditions of educators: “Wage improvements, matching measures, reduced school ratios and hours, and employee stability and rejuvenation plans are a testament to our willingness to reach meaningful agreements.” In the words of the Department of Education, “it is difficult to understand the call for strike at a time when negotiations are open.The agreements are within reach.”

Such a massive letter had never been sent before by the Department of Education and has been taken as an attack by the callers of the mobilizations of LAB, Steilas, ELA and CCOO: The unions consider the use of personal correspondence for the purpose of “propaganda, putting families against teachers and conditioning strikes” to be “very serious.”

Regarding the call for strikes with open negotiations, the unions have responded that there is no content in their negotiating tables with the government and that they only use the meetings to “give the appearance of negotiation and justify themselves.”

Just this Wednesday, the Minister of Education, Begoña Pedrosa, in his interview with Radio Popular, once again highlighted that he does not consider it appropriate for the unions to call strikes in the middle of the negotiation. He noted that the Department was open to dialogue and that proposals were on the table.

To improve agreements and working conditions

As a matter of fact, a 12-day cycle of strikes in public education has begun. Teachers are called on Wednesday and Thursday, as well as February 26-27. The workers of the Haurreskolak Consortium are called to strike on 28-29 January and 12-13 February, while the workers of the kitchen and cleaning are called to strike on 30-31 January and 19-20 February.

The workers have proclaimed that the labor agreements are long-standing and that the agreements must be renewed. The teachers’ work agreement dates from 2010 and the rest has not been updated since 2009. They require, among other things, the alleviation of the workload and excessive bureaucratization (as we reported in this article), the agreement of plans to rejuvenate working groups, the recovery of purchasing power, the reduction of temporality and the stabilization of jobs, the provision of more resources (such as education to be able to respond to students with special needs) and the reduction of ratios.

The situation of the kitchen and cleaning staff is noteworthy. The unions recall that it is the most feminized sector with the most precarious conditions and the lowest salaries: “It is essential to lower the ratios and have fewer meters to clean.”

The demonstrations

The first demonstration took place this Wednesday morning in Bilbao. Thousands of workers have taken to the streets, improving working conditions, decided here and now! Under the motto.On Thursday, demonstrations began in the three capitals of the Basque Country at 11.30 a.m.: In Vitoria-Gasteiz, from Bilbao Square to Foru Square; in San Sebastián, from Boulevard to finish; and in Bilbao, from Gran Vía 85 to Arriaga Square.

Protests in Navarre

It is also not in the foral community that teachers of environment and public education are called to strike on January 30. In fact, the unions Steilas, ELA, LAB and CCOO made an appearance on Wednesday morning to talk about the strike. They denounce the "closed position" of the Department of Education of the Government of Navarre and once again proclaim negotiations to improve the working conditions of teachers. The unions have criticized the Department of Education’s approval of last November’s agreement but the fact that it is “completely undemocratic.”