Valencia teachers begin strike

Teachers in Spain’s Valencian Community have moved from one-day protests to an open-ended strike, and that changes the stakes fast. A symbolic walkout is one thing. An indefinite stoppage in the final stretch of the school year is another. On Monday, May 11, teachers in non-university public education walked out across Valencia, Alicante, and Castellón after months of failed talks with the regional government. ### Who is actually on strike? This is the public-school teaching workforce below university level — early childhood, primary, secondary, baccalaureate, vocational training, and other non-university public education. The unions driving it include STEPV, UGT, CCOO, CSIF, and in some coverage ANPE as part of the broader pressure campaign. The strike started Monday, May 11, and unions framed it as indefinite from the outset, not a fixed run of protest days. (valenciaplaza.com) ### Why did this blow up now? Basically, teachers say the government kept negotiating without putting real money or concrete measures on the table. One union statement pointed to an offer worth just €75 gross spread over three years, which landed as an insult rather than a compromise. The broader complaint is bigger than salary — teachers have been demanding smaller class sizes, more staff, less bureaucracy, better infrastructure, and stronger backing for public education and Valencian-language teaching. (valenciaplaza.com) ### How big was day one? Big enough that even the low-end official count looked serious. Early in the day, the regional education ministry put participation at 24%, then later raised it to about 47% to 50% across the community. Unions said the real figure was above 88% and in many schools only minimum-service staff showed up. That gap matters because this story is now partly a labor dispute and partly a credibility fight over who gets to define reality. (stepv.intersindical.org) ### Why are the numbers so far apart? Because both sides are counting different things for different purposes. Governments usually count against the full eligible workforce and include schools kept open by minimum-service rules. Unions often measure active support inside participating schools and use local reports from delegates. So the official and union figures are not just different estimates of the same thing — they are built from different lenses. That is why you can get “around 50%” and “near 90%” on the same day without either side obviously inventing a number from nowhere. (grupohg.es) ### What happened in the streets? The strike spilled well beyond empty classrooms. Demonstrations took place across the region, and multiple reports put turnout above 40,000 people across Valencia, Alicante, and Castellón. That matters because it shows this is not only a staff-room revolt. Families and parts of the wider education community are showing up too, which gives the unions more leverage if the stoppage continues. (elperiodicodeaqui.com) ### Why does timing matter so much? Because May is when schools are trying to land the year cleanly. Secondary students are heading toward exams, end-of-term assessment, and promotion decisions. The government also imposed minimum services, and unions challenged some of those rules in court, especially around second-year baccalaureate. So this is not just a labor clash — it is a fight over how much disruption the state can legally force schools to absorb while still saying classes continue. (elpais.com) ### What happens next? The regional ministry said it still had an open hand for talks and even signaled willingness to meet quickly. But the catch is that teachers have heard versions of that before. Unless the government comes back with concrete concessions on pay, staffing, and workload, this probably stays a rolling confrontation rather than a one-day warning shot. (valenciaplaza.com) ### Bottom line This is now a real test of whether the Valencian government can calm a public-service labor revolt before the school year ends. If it cannot, the strike stops being a regional education story and turns into a broader political problem about public services, trust, and who is expected to carry austerity on their backs. (elperiodicodeaqui.com)