They demand better working conditions and changes to the public education system.
On Tuesday morning, dozens of Spanish teachers managed to block the main access routes to Barcelona and other cities in Catalonia in protest of their working conditions.
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“Today we don’t start, today we strike,” “Sept. 8, strike,” “The will is not lacking, conditions are,” and “Less bureaucracy and more democracy” were among the signs and slogans carried and chanted by the teachers.
Coinciding with the first day of classes, protesters blocked roads including the Gran Via de les Corts Catalanes (in Can Batllo), the B-20 (in Santa Coloma de Gramenet), the C-58 (in Sant Quirze del Vallès), the Ronda Litoral (near Barceloneta) and the C-32 (in Mataro).
On Tuesday, more than 1.6 million students in Catalonia are beginning the 2026-2027 school year. The teachers are asking the government for better working conditions and for it to address structural problems such as the number of students per teacher, known locally as “the ratio.”
Thousands of educators across Catalonia took to the streets, including major demonstrations and road blockades in Barcelona, to mark the start of the new academic term with a union-backed strike.
Primary and secondary school teachers are demanding increased public funding, lower… pic.twitter.com/xEhhe956AU
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) September 8, 2026
The protest was called by organizations such as the Union of Education Workers of Catalonia (USTEC), the Workers’ Union Coordinating Committee (COS), the National Confederation of Labor (CNT), and Intersindical.
The Sept. 8 demonstrations are a continuation of a conflict that sparked about 20 protests during the first six months of the year due to teachers’ dissatisfaction with agreements reached by the government with other unions.
In Barcelona, where one of the largest demonstrations will take place, the teachers’ march will begin at Urquinaona Square and conclude with a gathering at Sant Jaume Square.
Last week, talks between the government and the unions ended without bringing the sides closer together. As a result, the return to classes will begin with demonstrations not only in Barcelona but also in Alt Pirineu i Aran, Tarragona, Girona, Catalunya Central, Baix Llobregat, Maresme, Vallès Oriental and Occidental, Lleida, and Terres de l’Ebre.
Hoy, los bomberos catalanes han mostrado su apoyo a la huelga general de profesores en Catalunya por mejores condiciones laborales y recursos para los centros públicos. Mientras, los agentes de los Mossos reprimen sus protestas. pic.twitter.com/AtvG0QbQLx
— Fonsi Loaiza (@FonsiLoaiza) September 8, 2026
The text reads, “Today, Catalan firefighters showed their support for the teachers’ general strike in Catalonia, demanding better working conditions and resources for public schools. Meanwhile, the Catalan police are repressing their protests.”
“We want to show that this is a year of struggle for public education,” said USTEC activist Marina Ruiz, who demanded an increase in support staff for the inclusive school model, a reduction in class sizes and air conditioning in classrooms, among other demands.
“The unions are aware that striking on the first day of the school year, a special day for students, could cause more than one family to distance itself from supporting the protests. Even so, they have decided to maintain the strike with a ‘broken heart’ — in Ruiz’s words — to make clear that the conflict has not ended,” oulet El DiarioEs reported.
“Unions and teachers’ assemblies say they worked this summer on a document containing their main demands, which will be debated in the assemblies held during this day of strike. Subsequently, whatever is decided must be ratified at an assembly scheduled for Sept. 19,” it added.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: DiarioES
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