The Stepv union has described the indefinite strike by the education sector, which began this Monday, as having “massive support,” with 80% participation in Benidorm and similar figures in the rest of the Marina Baixa. Union representatives accuse the Ministry of Education of using social media to spread “lies” about salary increases, which they note have not occurred since 2010, and about the number of teachers, without disaggregating public and subsidized private school staff.

From early Monday morning, the Salt de l'Aigua area in Benidorm, where most high schools are located, showed a notable absence of vehicles in the parking lots. At IES Beatriu Fajardo, unions counted only six teachers, corresponding to the mandatory minimum services. At IES Mediterrània, the situation was similar, with informational pickets in the vicinity.

The teaching sector expresses its discomfort with the Ministry of Education over its claims of a salary increase. Teachers emphasize that any increase comes from the General Public Function Table and affects teachers across the entire Spanish State, not being an initiative of the Valencian autonomy. The indignation also stems from the fact that they have not seen a significant change in their salaries since 2010.

The union also refutes the Ministry's information about an increase in teaching staff, arguing that figures from public, subsidized private, and private education are combined without disaggregation. They criticize the allocation of significant resources to private and subsidized private centers, mentioning an investment of 75 million euros in centers that segregate by gender, which generates considerable anger within the sector.

Protests will continue this Tuesday, May 12, with a concentration at 10:30 AM in the Benidorm Town Hall square, under the slogan “For public and quality education in Valencian.” Earlier, at 9:30 AM, there will be a demonstration in La Vila Joiosa, culminating at the Town Hall with the reading of a manifesto.