Teachers in state-subsidized private schools will recover the 2.9% of their frozen salary in two installments.

PalmThe Balearic Ministry of Education and Universities reached an agreement in principle this Friday to implement the 2.9% salary increase that was frozen during 2020 and 2021 for teachers in state-subsidized private schools, with effects also on subsequent years. The proposal, presented within the framework of the State-Subsidized Private Education Roundtable, anticipates paying approximately 15 million euros in two phases: the first during 2026 and the second throughout 2027, always subject to budgetary availability. Furthermore, the agreement includes a clause that would allow for further increases in percentages if financial resources permit. The Balearic Federation of Education of the USO union, the largest teachers' union in state-subsidized private schools, has accepted the Ministry's proposal but has demanded "real guarantees" that the 2.9% increase will actually be paid. The USO union has welcomed the government's modification of its initial offer, which it considered "absolutely unacceptable," and has insisted that the payments scheduled for April 2026 and March 2027 include a firm commitment to be included in the budget.

The union has warned that making payments contingent on "budgetary availability" could open the door to further delays, which would be "a lack of respect" for a group that "has already suffered years of wage discrimination." USO has also demanded that any improvements achieved by public school teachers be applied to those in state-subsidized private schools: "We are not a second-class sector and we will not allow any more inequalities." According to USO, it was forced to accept this latest proposal because the Sectoral Committee announced that, as with the public sector, the payment of 2.5% of the 2025 CPI, retroactive to January, and 1.5% of the 2.2% CPI, will be made effective at the beginning of 2026. This preliminary agreement comes after several negotiations with unions and employers' representatives. Last Tuesday, Regional Minister Antoni Vera participated in the meeting where the installment payment of the 2.9% was proposed. This Friday's final meeting was attended by the Regional Secretary for Educational Development, Mateu Suñer; the Director General of Teaching Staff and Subsidized Schools, Joana Maria Cabrer; and the Secretary General, Bartomeu Riera.

5,000 beneficiaries

In the coming days, the agreement with unions and employers' associations is expected to be formally signed, after which it will be submitted to the Governing Council to implement the salary repayment. This measure will benefit approximately 5,000 teachers in state-subsidized private schools in the Balearic Islands, including retired teachers affected by the salary freeze. The agreement equates the situation of teachers in state-subsidized private schools with that of public school teachers, who have been receiving the 2.9% repayment since September, in compliance with the ruling of the High Court of Justice of the Balearic Islands (TSJIB). It should be noted that UGT had already accepted the regional government's proposal last Tuesday and that the document is expected to be formally signed next week. USO hopes that this agreement will be the starting point "for moving towards real and effective equality between all public and state-subsidized private school workers in the Balearic Islands."