Spain: Education unions mobilise for public education, workers’ rights and equality
From the indefinite education strike in Madrid to the 11 November general strike, FECCOO is challenging deteriorating public services, declining purchasing power and growing insecurity. Both mobilisations highlight the link between defending education workers’ rights and building a fairer society in Spain and across Europe.
Defending public education means defending education workers
On 14 October, education workers in the Community of Madrid began an indefinite strike demanding better working conditions, adequate resources and a stronger public education system.
Their demands reflect challenges familiar to education unions across Europe: underfunding, excessive workloads, deteriorating working conditions and growing difficulties in attracting and retaining education professionals.
In Madrid, the priorities are clear: lower pupil–teacher ratios, fewer teaching hours, adequate staffing, fair wages, less bureaucracy and better support for pupils with additional educational needs.
These are not privileges. They are essential conditions for guaranteeing the right to quality education.
For the Federation of Education Workers of CCOO Spain (FECCOO), educational quality and workers’ rights are inseparable. A strong public education system requires adequate funding, decent working conditions and the resources to support every pupil, regardless of their social or economic background.
Quality cannot be sustained by overburdening staff or normalising inadequate resources. Nor can education systems remain attractive when working conditions undermine professional recognition and job satisfaction.
The Madrid dispute therefore raises a wider European question: how can public education recruit, retain and support the professionals it needs without addressing pay, workloads and working conditions?
From education strikes to wider social mobilisation
The indefinite strike is being organised jointly by FECCOO Madrid, other trade unions, education platforms and grassroots groups.
The first day included picket lines at schools, student mobilisations and a demonstration through central Madrid. The strike committee estimated participation at around 70%, bringing public education's difficulties to the forefront of political debate.
The strike was called in September after months of discussions and attempts to secure improvements through negotiation. The unions consider progress on staffing, resources and working conditions insufficient.
Negotiations must deliver tangible improvements, not become a pretext for delaying the action public education needs.
The dispute is part of a broader social mobilisation. On 11 November, CCOO and UGT have called a 24-hour general strike demanding decent wages, affordable housing, quality public services and dignified living conditions.
Having a job no longer guarantees that people can cover basic expenses, access housing or build a secure future. Rising living costs and employment insecurity are eroding purchasing power, while public services face growing pressure.
For FECCOO, these issues are interconnected. Wages, job security, education funding and the quality of public services all contribute to a fundamental objective: ensuring that working people can live and work with dignity.
The general strike is therefore also a mobilisation for public education and the people who sustain it.
Housing, equality and decent living conditions
The housing crisis also affects education workers. High costs make it harder to recruit and retain staff, increase commuting expenses and place particular pressure on temporary, itinerant and part-time workers. Early childhood educators, educational support staff and non-permanent university employees are also affected.
Women face particular disadvantages because they are overrepresented in low-paid and precarious employment and continue to shoulder a disproportionate share of unpaid care work.
Housing insecurity also threatens children's and young people's educational continuity and well-being. Figures cited by FECCOO in support of the general strike indicate that at least 40,000 children experience the consequences of evictions each year.
Secure housing is particularly important for survivors of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation, as well as LGBTIQ+ people facing family rejection, homelessness or housing discrimination.
Housing is a fundamental social need, not simply an investment opportunity. FECCOO calls for affordable housing policies, effective action against speculation and evictions, and wages that make a dignified life possible.
The union also highlights that women account for two-thirds of people earning the statutory minimum wage or less, underlining the need to tackle pay inequalities, strengthen collective bargaining and combat precarious employment.
Public investment, not privatisation
Underfunding and the outsourcing of public services have direct consequences for education: inadequate staffing, unsuitable facilities, insufficient resources and difficulties in meeting pupils' needs. These pressures also increase workloads and undermine the quality of provision.
Outsourcing can divert public resources towards private profit and put pressure on wages, staffing levels and service quality. When public education and care services are weakened, families must take on more unpaid work, disproportionately affecting women.
Strong public services, by contrast, help redistribute wealth, reduce inequalities and create stable employment.
Public education is not an expense to be contained. It is essential infrastructure for democracy, equality and social cohesion.
FECCOO calls for adequate funding, sufficient staffing, better working conditions and safeguards against low-cost contracting models. It also advocates restoring direct public provision of essential educational and socio-educational services.
For European education unions, the challenge is to ensure that public investment meets the needs of learners and education communities, and that public resources serve the common good.
Protecting the right to strike and trade union freedoms
The first day of the Madrid strike also saw police intervene at the Complutense University of Madrid following an overnight occupation involving students and education workers. The incident resulted in injuries and arrests.
According to initial reports, five people were arrested. On 15 October, Madrid Government Delegate Francisco Martín Aguirre apologised for the intervention and announced an urgent investigation. The university also expressed concern and stated that it had not requested police intervention. CCOO has demanded explanations from the Ministry of the Interior.
For CCOO, the rights to strike, demonstrate and organise collectively are fundamental to democracy. Any use of police force must comply with the law and the principles of necessity and proportionality. Allegations of excessive force must be investigated.
Protecting trade union freedoms and the right to strike is a shared responsibility across Europe. The ability of workers to organise, mobilise and bargain collectively is essential to defending labour rights and democratic freedoms.
A European agenda for public education and social justice
The challenges facing education workers in Spain are shared across Europe: recruitment and retention difficulties, excessive workloads, inadequate resources and declining purchasing power. Housing costs, gender inequalities and the privatisation of essential services add to these pressures.
These are not isolated problems. They reflect wider choices about public investment, the distribution of wealth, employment conditions and the role of public services.
FECCOO calls for a more ambitious European agenda built around six priorities:
Greater public investment in education to ensure adequate resources, reduce pupil–teacher ratios and meet the needs of all learners.
Decent wages and better working conditions that recognise professional qualifications and make education careers attractive and sustainable.
Effective collective bargaining and social dialogue, giving trade unions a meaningful role in decisions affecting workers and education systems.
Strong, accessible public services that prioritise the public interest over cost-cutting and private profit.
Equality and social protection, including action against precarious employment and pay inequalities, and measures to ensure access to affordable housing.
Protection of fundamental and trade union rights, including the effective right to strike and organise collectively.
European education unions have a vital role in advancing these priorities. Sharing experiences, coordinating demands and defending strong labour standards can strengthen workers' collective capacity to challenge policies that weaken public services.
International solidarity is not merely symbolic: it is a means of strengthening trade union action and ensuring that economic and political decisions serve society as a whole.
11 November: defending public education means defending our rights
The indefinite strike in Madrid is a call to defend an essential public service. The 11 November general strike provides an opportunity to connect education workers' demands with the wider struggle for decent wages, affordable housing, equality and quality public services.
For FECCOO, defending public education means defending the people who make it possible. Quality education requires adequate funding, sufficient staffing, secure employment, professional recognition and decent working conditions.
FECCOO calls on education and socio-educational workers to join the general strike on 11 November.
For decent wages. For affordable housing. For equality. For quality public education. For strong public services and decent working conditions.
For a society that leaves no one behind. For strong public education in Spain and across Europe.
