Police charged a picket at the Complutense University of Madrid on the first day of the region’s teachers’ strike. The indefinite walkout began on 14 October, following a campaign agreed in June. Unions said six people were injured, including one with a head wound, and that some were taken to hospital. Police reported five arrests and said an officer was also injured.
The strike covers 65,000 teachers in non-university public education. Their schools teach more than 666,000 pupils. The action includes infant and primary schools, as well as secondary schools and vocational training. Comisiones Obreras, or CC OO, put participation at 70%. Madrid’s education councillor, Mercedes Zarzalejo, said 44.6% of staff took part.
The gap between the figures is stark. CCOO and UGT joined the indefinite action, alongside CGT, CNT, STEM and Solidaridad Obrera. Education platforms including Educación Especial Digna and Menos Lectivas also took part, as did Queremos FP.
Teachers and school directors who spoke to EL PAÍS said turnout was higher than in previous strikes, particularly in southern Madrid and the capital. Some schools reported near-total participation after excluding staff assigned to minimum services.
In Alcorcón, teacher Charo Fernández said staff assigned to minimum services had to supervise several classes at once. The regional government said those services would remain in place during the strike to protect students’ access to education and let non-striking staff work.
The dispute centres on staffing and workload, with pay also at issue. Unions want weekly classroom hours cut from 19 to 17 in secondary schools and vocational training. For infant and primary education, they want the limit lowered from 25 to 22.
They are seeking class-size limits of 13 pupils in infant education and 15 in primary, with proposed caps of 20 in secondary education and 23 in vocational training. Unions also want more funding and higher salaries. Their demands include more specialists to support pupils with additional needs, action against socioeconomic segregation between public and publicly funded private schools, and a €600 monthly pay rise. They are also calling for less paperwork and better school buildings.
Teachers described the strain inside classrooms. Natalia Cabello, a teacher at the Loyola de Palacio school in Villa de Vallecas, said pupils had sat exams wearing gloves because classrooms were too cold. She also pointed to excessive heat. Unions link their demands to staff shortages and crowded classes, and say pupils with additional educational needs lack enough support.
At the Complutense campus, a picket outside the Faculty of Chemical Sciences faced a police cordon. A CGT delegate said officers blocked the group before charging. A police spokesperson said the charge followed an attempt to cross the cordon. The Government Delegation defended the right to demonstrate and said any confirmed police excess would have consequences.
Thousands of demonstrators gathered at Puerta del Sol. About 5,000 people then headed towards the Education Department. Protesters blamed regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso and Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida for what they called the weakening of public education.
Educators, students and unions joined the rally. Workers from infant schools also blocked Paseo de la Castellana. Student and family organisations have joined the campaign; its organisers have tied the defence of public education to the regional government’s policies.
Zarzalejo said her department was willing to hear teachers’ demands. She accused the organisers of pursuing political and electoral objectives, called the union proposals impossible and said the strike was unjustified while negotiations continued. As of 14 October, talks were still open, but no agreement had been reached. Education Minister Milagros Tolón urged regional governments to negotiate, saying smaller classes and fewer teaching hours were impressive to education quality.
The basic union bloc has called an indefinite strike, with no end date set. Separately, CSIF announced a three-day strike from 14 to 16 October. The action began six weeks before the early regional elections scheduled for 29 November 2026.
