The Work and Social Security Inspection of València has issued several urgent requirements against the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Universities following complaints filed by the Local Federation of València of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT). The labor authority's resolutions confirm serious deficiencies in environmental and occupational safety conditions in 15 educational centers—including, among others, IES Andreu Alfaro in Paiporta, IES Berenguer Dalmau in Catarroja, IES Lluís Simarro in Xàtiva, IES Tirant lo Blanc in Torrent, IES Puçol, IES El Puig de Santa Maria, and IES Balears and Barri del Carme in València—and urge the regional administration to adopt urgent measures to rectify them.
The anarcho-syndicalist organization encourages Valencian educational centers to report high temperatures to the Work Inspection to achieve improvements in facility air conditioning and ensure the safety of students and workers. The Inspection's resolutions confirm that current measures (vertical blinds and vinyls) are completely ineffective in combating heatwaves, with temperatures exceeding legal limits.
Furthermore, they point out that in centers affected by the DANA and relocated to prefabricated modules (barracks), temperatures of 9°C in winter and over 32°C in summer have been recorded in areas where teaching staff work (such as during duty shifts), despite the presence of air conditioning units in classrooms. The Work Inspection requires the ministry to install air conditioning equipment and apply the necessary technical measures to correct these extreme temperatures. It also highlights that the lack of air conditioning hinders the normal development of educational activity, affecting both teaching staff and students, and demands the Ministry guarantee adequate temperatures.
Additionally, the resolutions consistently point out systematic breaches by the Generalitat Valenciana regarding occupational risk prevention. These breaches include the lack of health surveillance (it is not proven that mandatory periodic medical check-ups have been carried out for staff), the absence of training on risks from high temperatures, and the lack of protocols for adverse weather phenomena.
“"We will not allow the health of workers and students to be at risk due to the inaction of a ministry that ignores the effects of climate change and basic safety conditions."
Inma Sellés, General Secretary of the Education Section of CGT, celebrates these resolutions as a victory for union struggle and encourages other educational centers in the Valencian Community experiencing temperatures above legal limits to report the situation. The union warns that it will monitor strict compliance with the deadlines set by the Inspection and will continue to report any situation affecting the work of teachers.
