Asturian teachers have reached a preliminary agreement with the Government of the Principality of Asturias after over seven hours of negotiations.

The day began uneasily following a significant protest where approximately 15,000 people took to the streets of Oviedo, demanding improvements in the public education system from the administration of Adrián Barbón. Following the ninth day of continuous strikes, the teachers' unions have declared the indefinite strike to be lifted and are now organizing assemblies with their members to discuss the proposals made by the regional government.

Initial union reports indicate that the negotiation has resulted in a monthly salary increase of 140 euros for the teachers, a class size cap of 23 students, and an agreement to incorporate 300 specialist educators and 30 administrative staff over the next three academic years.

However, these preliminary agreements have not satisfied the demonstrators who gathered outside the venue where negotiations took place.

Protesters voiced their discontent, chanting "this is not enough" and "hands up, this is a robbery" as union representatives outlined the terms of the agreement.

Rodrigo Sánchez, a spokesperson for the Anpe union, expressed hopes for constructive discussions at the outset of the meeting.

The CSIF union began its strike on May 27, while members of CCOO, UGT, Anpe, and Suatea joined the strike on June 2. Sánchez underscored the necessity for the regional government to present real solutions to meet educators' demands.

According to the Education Department, 26.24% of teachers in early childhood and primary education participated in the strike on its ninth day, with many educators demonstrating outside the multi-service building where negotiations were held.

The primary demands from teachers include salary increases, staffing enhancements, more specialist professionals, additional administrative support to enable them to focus on educational responsibilities, and reduced class sizes.

The region is facing its third week of protests, which began primarily with public education professionals in early childhood, primary, and secondary education, but has since expanded to include educators from subsidized schools and those teaching children aged 0 to 3 years.

Recent developments come in the wake of significant tensions between teachers and the Socialist government led by Adrián Barbón. On Friday, over 85 school directors submitted joint resignations, citing a lack of institutional dialogue and responsiveness to the needs of educational institutions.

The day after, Vice President Gimena Llamedo contacted union leaders to initiate the discussions that began at 10:30 a.m. The unions attended the meeting following a breakdown in negotiations that had previously moved forward.

At that time, the regional government had proposed a salary increase of 105 euros for teachers and 170 euros for those with less than six years of service—an offer described as “insufficient” by the unions.

The direct impact of the ongoing protests was felt on the following Monday when Education Minister Lydia Espina announced her resignation, citing emotional and personal strain from the preceding weeks.

At that point, Bárbon was away on personal travel and unable to address these escalating issues, placing negotiations in the hands of the Vice President and the Finance Minister, Guillermo Peláez.

In addition to the educators' challenges, the workers’ committees from the Department of Social Rights and the region's nursing homes have initiated protests over more than 30 alleged breaches of agreements by Minister Marta del Arco.

These committees have announced three demonstrations scheduled throughout the month, the first of which coincides with a planned strike by Renfe employees in the region.