11 November strike in Camp de Morvedre district: families criticise after-school suspensions
Families and teachers in the Vall de Segó, in the Camp de Morvedre district, disagree over after-school activities and are preparing for the 11 November strike. A rally is set for 5 November at 5 pm outside Sagunto town hall.
Some schools in the Vall de Segó have suspended after-school activities, and family associations reject the move. They argue that the measure, taken by part of the teaching staff as part of the education dispute, ends up hurting pupils, especially the youngest. Teachers reply that it is not applied the same way in every school and that not all after-school activities are affected. The clash of views surfaced at the assembly held on Thursday 29 October in Font de Quart.
The meeting brought together representatives of family associations, teachers, unions and social organisations from the five municipalities of the valley: Benavites, Quart de les Valls, Quartell, Benifairó de les Valls and Faura. The aim was to coordinate the demands of the schools and prepare participation in the general strike of 11 November. Despite the differences over after-school activities, those present agreed that the public schools in the area need to act in a more coordinated way to make their needs visible and to defend quality public education in Valencian.
Two concrete actions came out of the assembly. The first is joint rallies of families, pupils and teachers at school gates. The second is filing complaints with the Conselleria de Educación (regional education ministry) over the after-school situation and the lack of solutions to the dispute. Participants also do not rule out calling another demonstration or a bicycle march during the school year.
According to the unions, negotiations with the authorities are still going nowhere. Francesc Cayo (CCOO) and Ester Roca (STEPV) reported that talks with the Conselleria remain blocked and that the demands behind the teachers' protests have seen no significant progress. Alicante Plaza reports a similar picture across the region: STEPV, CCOO and UGT see the 11 November strike as a chance to revive teacher mobilisation, and talks on pay, staffing, class sizes and infrastructure remain stalled after the only agreement reached, on bureaucracy. Union sources quoted by that outlet say the Conselleria does not want to negotiate, while the education administration says it is willing to talk.
At the same time, the Assemblea Docent del Camp de Morvedre (teachers' assembly) proposed creating a district-wide platform in defence of public services, bringing together unions, associations and other organisations.
For those who want to join in, the education community is calling for participation in the protests leading up to the strike. The first date in the Camp de Morvedre is the rally on Thursday 5 November at 5 pm in front of Sagunto town hall. Protests are also being prepared in Puerto de Sagunto (coastal district), and a demonstration has been called in Valencia on 11 November itself.
The assembly included the AFAs (family associations) of CRA Benavites-Quart, CEIP Santa Anna, CEIP Sant Vicent Ferrer and IES La Vall de Segó, plus teachers from several schools, the organisations ARVASE and CEVCAM, and union representatives. According to El Periódico de Aquí, with additional information from Alicante Plaza.