The education unions postpone the 0-3 strike and denounce a maneuver by the Government to stop it

PalmaThe trade unions CCOO, UGT and STEI Intersindical have announced the postponement of the strike for 0-3 year olds' education scheduled for this Tuesday, June 2. The organizations explain that the decision has been made "out of strict responsibility" and to guarantee the "legal protection of workers".

The trade unions have justified the move following a notification from the Ministry of Labour, Public Function and Social Dialogue —headed by minister Catalina Cabrer— alleging a supposed procedural defect in the processing of the call before the Arbitration and Mediation Court of the Balearic Islands (TAMIB). According to the organizations, this fact opened the door to a possible declaration of the strike as illegal and generated legal uncertainty for the workers.

In their statement, the unions accuse the Administration of acting in "bad faith" and of using bureaucracy "as a gag". They assure that the documentation had been in the hands of the Ministry for days and that no objections had been communicated until the last hour of Friday, even though the minimum services had already been agreed and published in the BOIB.

Despite the postponement, CCOO, UGT and STEI emphasize that the strike is not being called off, but rather is being postponed for the "legally essential" time to complete the procedures and set a new date with full legal guarantees. They have also warned that they will not participate in any board or meeting in which, they say, it is intended to divide the collective.

Political criticism

In parallel, Esquerra Unida (EUIB) has described the action of the Ministry of Labour in response to the strike call in the 0-3 sector as “shameful”. The party considers that the Executive has used an alleged procedural defect at TAMIB as a “manual political maneuver” to generate insecurity and curb the mobilization planned for June 2nd. EUIB assures that the strike had been registered within the deadline and with the minimum services already negotiated with the Ministry of Education.

According to the party, this action responds to a demobilization strategy and implies implicit support for the employers' association in the midst of a labor dispute. “The Government should facilitate dialogue and not act as an institutional picket line,” defended the general coordinator of the party, José María García. The conflict in the 0-3 sector remains open, with the main demands focused on the creation of its own regional collective agreement and a new decree of minimums to reduce ratios in classrooms.