Employers again ditch the unions and block the negotiation of the 0-3 regional collective agreement

PalmaThe employers in the 0-3 educational sector have once again stood up the unions in the meeting convened this Tuesday to establish the negotiating committee for the future regional agreement. This is the second time that CECE and PIMEM have not attended a call to formally initiate negotiations, a fact that has provoked indignation among CCOO, UGT, and STEI, who accuse the employers of intentionally blocking the process. “A year ago we agreed to start negotiations to homologate the conditions of the sector's workers and this is the second time they have stood us up,” denounced the head of Education 0-3 for CCOO, Pepa Ramis. According to her, the employers “intentionally block the process and turn their backs on the needs of the 0-3 workers”.

The unions recall that in July 2025 an agreement was signed that included the commitment to open negotiations for a regional collective agreement. “We don't understand how, after the signed agreement, employers are now refusing to sit down at the table,” insisted Ramis, who argued that the agreement would serve to end the existing salary differences between workers who do “exactly the same job.” He also rejected the arguments of those who question the legal viability of a Balearic agreement. “Regional agreements start from a national agreement. In Menorca, in fact, they have their own agreement,” he remarked.

Tension arises after the mobilizations and the general strike on the 7th, in which more than a thousand workers took to the streets to demand labor improvements and the start of negotiations for the agreement. The unions consider that, far from opening a dialogue, employers have opted for a blockade.

The sector's discontent has also extended to the political arena. Union representatives have criticized statements made in recent days by members of the Government, especially after the workers' mobilizations were questioned. “We have many workers who do not feel represented when a president says that we are making a fool of ourselves by standing behind a banner demanding labor improvements,” said Ramis.

Disconcert with the Government

The CCOO representative recalled that it was the Government itself that opted to promote 0-3 and asked “what has changed now”. She also criticized that the Ministry of Labour casts doubt on the possibility of a regional agreement. “We are entering negotiations badly if a minister already questions it,” she warned. According to the unions, these types of statements “do not add, but subtract” and hinder the creation of a favourable climate for negotiation between employers and worker representatives.

For UGT Ensenyament, its secretary, Azahar Tortonda, described the new employer absence as a “nefarious message”. As she explained, CECE and PIMEM have justified their non-attendance because they prefer the administration to be present at the negotiation. “We hope they will come on May 25 to the Ministry of Education, where we will meet,” she pointed out. Tortonda argued that “there is an evident outcry from the 0-3 sector to improve working conditions” and called for greater involvement from the Government. “They have promoted the free 0-3 service, families have benefited from it and so have companies, but not the workers,” she denounced. “We cannot miss the opportunity to have a regional agreement”. The union leader also recalled that this is not the first time employers have avoided sitting down to negotiate. “We already summoned them last December and they did not show up either. Neither CECE nor PIMEM,” she lamented.

On behalf of STEI, the secretary of Concerted Education, Ramon Mondejar, has assured that the 0-3 movement is experiencing "a very important moment" and has criticized both employers' associations and the administration. "Educational concerts and aid to the private sector have increased, but they have allowed workers to have marathon days and work with very high ratios," he stated.

Mondejar has denounced that 0-3 professionals suffer from "some of the most precarious working conditions in the educational sector in the Balearic Islands and throughout Spain" and has warned that unions are considering new protests. "Negotiation must be immediate. If there is no negotiation, there will be no progress," he advised.

The STEI representative has also criticized the excuse given by employers' associations for not attending the meeting. "They said they had a meeting with the Minister of Labor and Education. They could have attended both," he retorted. The unions know that the 0-3 Network will meet on May 19 to evaluate new mobilizations and do not rule out calling for rallies or even a new strike if the employers' blockade continues.