Cantabria’s education sector is facing renewed labor tensions as the region’s largest teachers’ union, Comisiones Obreras (CCOO), denounced what it calls “new impositions” by the regional Department of Education. The dispute centers on proposed changes to the rules governing temporary teaching positions, a move CCOO claims will destabilize the employment of over 5,000 educators.
The Department of Education initiated a five-day public consultation period on Tuesday, February 17th, regarding an order modifying the criteria for evaluating candidates for interim teaching posts. Currently, applicants can retain their highest score from the two most recent qualifying exams, regardless of whether they ultimately secured a position. The proposed change would limit the use of this retained score to those candidates who successfully complete the entire selection process – meaning those who pass the exam *and* are offered a post.
CCOO argues this alteration will eliminate a crucial benefit for temporary teachers, creating “legal insecurity and destabilization” within the profession. The union contends the Department is attempting to implement changes previously announced in November, which sparked protests from interim staff and a joint opposition from CCOO and the Junta de Personal Docente, the region’s teaching staff council.
According to CCOO, the Department intends to unilaterally alter an order that, since 2004, has been negotiated between the various departments and the Junta de Personal Docente, with unanimous support from all unions. “On this occasion, there was no prior negotiation. in fact, the Minister of Education, Sergio Silva, last met with union representatives on September 5th,” the union stated.
The union has questioned the urgency with which the proposal was approved by the regional government and the limited timeframe – five working days – allotted for public feedback. CCOO General Secretary Conchi Sánchez characterized the decision as part of a pattern of unilateral actions taken by the Department in recent months, including the imposition of new guidelines for special education teachers, the presentation of a draft law on teacher authority and school coexistence, and attempts to alter the school calendar.
These actions, Sánchez argues, have followed significant protests by Cantabrian teachers in September and October, including a week-long strike from October 20th to 24th, stemming from a dispute over salary adjustments that began in November 2024. CCOO believes the Department has intensified a series of detrimental measures towards teachers since the Junta de Personal Docente decided to halt further mobilization during parliamentary budget negotiations for 2026.
“The Department has opted for permanent imposition instead of dialogue,” Sánchez said. “It was necessary to maintain the mobilizations and it still is. If the teaching staff does not remain united and with a clear roadmap, it remains unprotected against an Administration that has repeatedly demonstrated that it does not prioritize the improvement of public education or its professionals.”
CCOO is demanding the immediate withdrawal of the proposed order, a cessation of unilateral impositions, and respect for the legitimate representation of teachers. The union is also calling for the reopening of negotiations on the stalled salary adjustment process, which has been blocked for four months. Sánchez warned that Cantabria’s public education system “cannot be managed through unilateral decisions” and pledged to continue defending the labor rights of educators in the region.