Valencia education unions announce September 12 protests

Educational unions in Spain have announced a series of mobilizations for the 2026/2027 school year, beginning with a large-scale demonstration on September 12 in Alicante, Valencia, and Castellón. These actions follow a period of significant labor unrest, including an indefinite strike that was suspended in June.

The STEPV union states that these protests are a response to a lack of meaningful progress from the Conselleria de Educación regarding key demands. These include improving teaching staff numbers, reducing student-to-teacher ratios, recovering lost purchasing power, and upgrading educational infrastructure.

A major point of contention is a new legal provision regarding the role of educational inspectors. Unions have criticized this measure, which tasks inspectors with ensuring ideological neutrality and preventing indoctrination, labeling it as a move to turn inspectors into ‘ideological police’ against teachers.

While strikes are also being organized in other regions such as Catalonia, Madrid, and Andalucía, the Valencian demonstrations aim to involve the broader community, including families and students, to maintain pressure on regional authorities.