The mobilization, called by the Labor Platform for Early Childhood Schools (PLEI) and supported by unions such as CGT and CCOO, aims to denounce the institutional neglect and precarious conditions that, according to those affected, exist in the capital. Key demands include reducing student-to-educator ratios, fair wages, and investment comparable to other educational cycles.
The inaugural day of the strike included a concentration in front of the Ministry of Education, where hundreds of workers, parents, and children gathered. The general secretary of Podemos, Ione Belarra, was also present, showing her support for the sector's demands.
We are surprised that more and more people are joining the movement because more and more people are becoming aware.
According to Rosa Marín, spokesperson for PLEI, conditions in Madrid are the most unfavorable in Spain, with the worst ratios and insufficient investment leading to deficient infrastructure and a lack of materials. Protesters insist that their demands are not new and that a decree, 18/2008, during the Government of Esperanza Aguirre, had previously repealed more favorable conditions.
What we need is for decree 18/2008 to be reviewed once and for all. It's a decree from 2008, from when Esperanza Aguirre's Government was in power, which increased our ratios, when there was another decree with much lower ratios. We've had it before. We are asking for something that has already existed. What happened is that it was repealed for worse conditions.
Educators also emphasize that poor working conditions directly affect the quality of care and attention for children, who require a safe and stimulating environment for their development. They have criticized the established minimum services, deemed abusive by UGT, and PLEI has submitted a letter to the Ombudsman to seek alternatives that guarantee the right to strike.
