The indefinite strike in Valencian education enters its fifth week with a new call for a negotiation table. The unions arrive at this meeting after a weekend where teachers maintained a peaceful encampment in the Plaça de la Mare de Déu in València, coinciding with the Corpus Christi celebration. Friday's meeting concluded around ten at night, notable for the new element of a YouTube broadcast, which unions described as a "show" and an "electoral rally" for the People's Party. Both minister Carmen Ortí and education secretary Daniel McEvoy moderated their tone during the meeting, issuing public statements.
Today's meeting began with a three-quarters of an hour delay, as STEPV entered the negotiation room with six representatives, arguing that their majority status allows them that number by law. The ministry has proposed to broadcast the negotiation live and online, a measure that Comisiones Obreras has accepted due to legal imperative, and which can finally be followed online.
Union spokespersons lamented, before entering negotiations, the lack of a clear agenda and were unaware of Carmen Ortí's plans regarding the broadcast. STEPV, CCOO, and UGT agree on the lack of clarity in the ministry's offer. Xelo Valls, from CCOO, criticized the new negotiation format, considering that the broadcast could interfere with the duty of confidentiality, stating: "We are not in a parliament, we are in a negotiation table, and in the name of transparency, a negotiation cannot be jeopardized with tranquility." According to Valls, the negotiating deadlock lies in the development of Valencian-language education and the remuneration issue.
The weekend allowed unions to analyze the first four weeks of the strike and review the ministry's proposed agreement. The main conclusion is that active mobilization has led to improvements in the proposals. However, STEPV, CCOO, and UGT point to "malpractices" by the ministry. UGT considers these practices "incompatible" with a serious and respectful negotiation process, and criticizes the security deployment during demonstrations.
The unions denounce the negotiation table as a "political propaganda operation." CCOO stated in a press release that legitimate trust requires negotiations to be conducted under conditions that allow for the expression of one's positions, which is not possible with the level of publicity proposed by the ministry. STEPV insists on the strategy of prolonging the negotiation to wear down the strikers, who, despite this, have resisted.
