The phrase ran through the Spanish press and quickly gained prominence: “They increased my salary by 2,100 euros; we had been demanding it for years.” The author is Olga Pintado, a teacher with a 35-year career who, according to the Noticias Trabajo website, was one of the thousands of teachers benefiting from the new salary agreement reached in the community of Castilla y León.
The teacher celebrated the update, but made it clear that the increase does not solve what she considers to be a deeper problem: the lack of recognition of the profession.
The agreement that unlocked a years-long impasse
According to the Spanish website Noticias Trabajo, the pact was signed between the Consejería de Educación and several unions, including CSIF, ANPE, Stecyl-i, UGT and CCOO. The understanding updates the values associated with sexennia, a system that rewards years of service in six-year cycles. According to the same source, the fourth six-year period now guarantees an annual increase of 1,050 euros, while the fifth, the highest, now represents an increase of 2,100 euros per year.
It is precisely the latter that applies to the case of the teacher, who gave testimony to the newspaper El Español and stated that the climb represents “a joy for teachers”. The teacher highlighted that she had chosen not to join the alternative professional career because, already benefiting from the fifth sexennium, she considered that it would be “going backwards” and would mean giving up that complement.
As the Spanish website explains, many teachers were unhappy with the difference between the six-year values and the improvements associated with the horizontal career, which led to years of demands.
Between salary increases and the reality of classrooms
Despite the financial relief, Olga insists that problems persist that the agreement does not resolve. The teacher explained that classes have become more demanding, with a greater diversity of profiles and more students with specific needs.
In an interview with the Spanish newspaper, cited by various media, he also lamented the bureaucratic burden: “We do a lot of paperwork, programming and evaluations. There is no time to dedicate ourselves to the essentials.”
Several unions continue to call for additional measures, including a reduction in teaching hours for teachers over 55 years of age. According to the Spanish press, the justification is simple: many teachers show clear signs of wear and tear after decades of practice.
A career that remains far from full appreciation
The teacher also stated that the Teaching course continues to be seen as a “less prestigious” option, despite political attempts to reinforce the authority of teachers. In an interview, he said that, after so many years, he still feels that the profession remains undervalued and marked by old prejudices, summarizing that “teaching, education, continues to seem second-rate”.
And in Portugal?
In Portugal, similar themes have been discussed. The review of the structure of the teaching career, the complete unfreezing of service time and the reduction of bureaucratic burden continue to mark the union agenda.
Several organizations argue that the Portuguese system suffers from the same problems identified in the Spanish case: accumulated wear, lack of balanced progression and difficulties in attracting young people to the profession. The discussion promises to continue, especially as retirements increase and the shortage of teachers in some regions of the country worsens.
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