Saturday’s demonstrations in València, Alicante and Castellón have brought the region’s education dispute back onto the streets at the start of the school year. Teachers, families and civic groups called on the education department to reopen talks that still lack majority agreement. The indefinite strike launched in May remains suspended, but the organisations behind the marches do not regard it as over.
EFE confirmed the three simultaneous demonstrations. The València march went from Plaça de Sant Agustí to Plaça de l’Ajuntament; in Alicante, the route started beside IES Jorge Juan and ended on the Explanada; in Castellón de la Plana, Plaça de les Aules served as both start and finish.
The largest published count concerns València. The central government delegation estimated almost 10,000 people, according to El País. No equivalent official counts have been located for Alicante and Castellón, so that figure should not be extended to all three cities.
The pay rise has not closed the dispute
The school year begins with the first stage of an agreement signed by ANPE and CSIF: €75 a month from September, another €75 in January 2027 and a further €50 in January 2028. CSIF presents the cumulative €200 as a permanent improvement. The unions and groups behind the marches say the package does not address all their demands and did not receive sufficient support among teachers consulted.
Their demands cover staffing and substitute cover, smaller classes, less paperwork, pay, buildings and greater use of Valencian. These are campaign demands, not agreed measures. They also oppose a new duty for education inspectors to safeguard “ideological neutrality”, added through the 2026 budget legislation.
The education department says some points cannot be negotiated
The regional department argues that it regards some demands as impossible to negotiate. Before the marches, officials said improvements would go ahead with or without agreement, including measures on paperwork, support for pupils with different needs and pay. That leaves a live disagreement over what should be negotiated and what the government will implement unilaterally.
For STEPV, CCOO, UGT, CGT and the organisations in Plataforma per l’Ensenyament Públic, the immediate goal is a new proposal that teachers can assess. At the start of the protest, STEPV linked any consultation on renewed strike action to the administration’s response.
The next test is a formal negotiating meeting
STEPV’s mobilisation plan proposed progressive pressure during the school year through local and recurring action. That is not the same as a new strike call. The dispute will move into a new phase only with a formal offer, a teacher ballot or a confirmed schedule of stoppages.
The next meetings with the education department will show whether the marches reopen talks on staffing, class sizes and school organisation. Until there is a verifiable decision, the strike remains suspended and the disagreement remains unresolved.
Original editorial illustration about mobilisation for Valencian public education. AI-generated conceptual image; it does not depict the actual protest or identifiable people.