Catalonia public school teachers to strike on 8 September as union talks stall

Strike confirmed for the start of the school year

Public school teachers across Catalonia will stage a walkout on 8 September 2026, coinciding with the first day of the 2026–2027 academic year. Speaking on Catalunya Ràdio during the tenth week of the eleven-week school break, Iolanda Segura, spokesperson for the majority union Ustec, declared the action practically unavoidable. With fifteen days remaining before classes begin, Segura noted that resolving the labor dispute before the opening bell would require an extraordinary turnaround. She stated that while the opening-day strike is set, subsequent mobilizations later in the autumn could be averted if regional authorities return to the bargaining table.

The strike on the 8th we do not believe can be avoided, but what might come after could be avoided if the Department of Education sits down to negotiate.

Stalled negotiations and working conditions

Union leadership reported that the Department of Education has not held formal negotiation sessions with labor representatives since 13 July 2026, despite repeated offers from unions to meet. Ustec stated that the Generalitat spent the summer holding consultations with school principals and family representatives while leaving labor negotiations on hold. The union is demanding binding schedules for structural staffing increases, reductions in student-teacher ratios, greater support for inclusive education, and safeguards for Catalan-language instruction. Segura also cited extreme physical conditions in educational facilities during hot periods as an unresolved problem.

A centre cannot continue open if it is at 40-42 degrees.

Preceding walkouts and disputed policy measures

The upcoming stoppage follows a tense first half of 2026, during which the education sector carried out 23 strike days. The Department of Education stated that it will present a strategy in early September to deploy additional reception classrooms and school healthcare technicians to assist newly arrived students requiring specialized support. Ustec dismissed the plan as a repackaging of agreements negotiated in March and May, which educators had previously rejected as inadequate. While some unions accepted separate salary updates, including an increase in the monthly regional supplement to 700 euros after 25 years without revision, Ustec maintains that piecemeal measures fail to resolve underlying problems. The department is also managing fallout from an error in regional PISA test reporting.

Reactions from parent federations and the Generalitat

Parent organizations have voiced apprehension about the prospect of another disrupted school term. Lidón Gasull, director of the Federated Associations of Families of Students of Catalonia (aFFaC), which represents over 2,400 public school parent groups, affirmed the right of public employees to strike while stressing that months have passed without clear guarantees that authorities will fix systemic issues. In response, the Catalan government urged all parties to prioritize children's access to education. Regional government spokesperson Sílvia Paneque reaffirmed the administration's willingness to implement signed pacts and allocate necessary funding to stabilize the educational sector.

We have to do everything possible to resolve the situation, we will put all the resources and the deployment of the agreement to make it possible.