The teachers of Madrid and Aragón, the lowest paid in Spain: “They have to equip us to other regions”

Only teachers in Aragon earn less than those in the Community of Madrid At all educational levels, teacher salaries in Spain are higher than the average salary in OECD countries Spanish teachers need 39 years to obtain the highest salary and 25 on average in the OECD Although the basic salary of teachers in public education is the same throughout Spain, there is a part of the salary that depends on the autonomous section that each community establishes. The salary increase can be enjoyed from January 1, 2023 in the regional section -frozen since 2006- to which the State contribution will be added for all the communities. The truth is that the teachers and professors of the Community of Madrid are among the worst paid in all of Spain. Teachers from Madrid without any three years earn 2,223.96 euros gross per month, the ones who receive the lowest salary of all, only behind those from Aragón (2,169.86). The difference with the best paid is enormous: in the Canary Islands (in non-capital islands) charge 2,774.13 and in the capital, 2,468.82; in Ceuta and Melilla, 2,749.96, and in the Balearic Islands (except in Mallorca), 2,420.46 and in Mallorca, 2,404.40, according to the report Teacher Remuneration in Public Education 2022, prepared by the UGT union. Nor do secondary school teachers in the Community of Madrid fare well in terms of salary. They charge 2,513.94 euros per month, only above those of Aragon (2,462.30). The communities where these professionals earn the most are Ceuta and Melilla (3,287.40); Canary Islands, in the non-capital islands (3,069.88) and in the capital islands (2,730.64), and the Balearic Islands, in all the islands except Mallorca (2,717.91) and in Mallorca (2,707.22). Teachers applaud the rise The unions have celebrated the rise in wages announced by Ayuso although they have asked to convene the Education sector table for negotiation. CC.OO. has described this decision as “very good news”. “The increase that Ayuso has announced must move forward on the path towards salary equality, and if it does not, it would be an insufficient measure. Now the main problem is that this announcement becomes a reality and does not keep dust in a drawer like so many announcements of the Díaz Ayuso government in educational matters”, has valued the general secretary of the Education Federation of CC.OO., Isabel Galvín. Galvín has insisted on the “terrible working conditions of the sector”, caused by a “loss of staff, teachers who prefer to work in other communities, especially in secondary and FP, where there are specialties without teachers.” From UGT they have pointed out that this increase will not allow them to achieve salary equality with the rest of the State. “That patches be stopped for the Madrid teaching sector, which is and will continue to be one of the worst paid in Spain, and proceed immediately to lower the ratios at all levels and stages and reduce the school day in order to improve quality of teaching and more individualized attention to students”, they have pointed out. CSIF Education Madrid has indicated that this salary increase is “a good start”, but has warned of the importance of not getting carried away by “grandiose headlines”. “Unfortunately, the salary of a teacher in the Community of Madrid is far from the 150 euros more than a colleague in Andalusia earns,” she pointed out. Also, it has highlighted the need to carry out salary equalization with the communities that pay their teachers the best. For example, the Basque Country, where about 300 euros more per month is charged on the same basis as ANPE-Madrid, has insisted on the same idea. “We demand the equalization of the basic and complementary salaries of the regional teachers to those of the communities with the best salaries, in order to end the inequality currently existing in the teaching bodies based on the autonomy where they are working,” the union has highlighted. Difference in OECD teacher salariesAt all educational levels, the salary of teachers in Spain is higher than the average salary of the OECD countries. However, the time needed to reach the highest salary is among the oldest, 39 years compared to 25 for the OECD average, according to the Education at a Glance report. OECD indicators 2021. The average salary of primary school teachers in Spain is, according to this study, 43,135 euros gross per year (in the OECD, 34,942); that of ESO students, 48,178 (OECD, 36,116), and that of Baccalaureate students, 48,178 (OECD, 37,811). Only teachers earn more than in Spain in Germany (65,475, in primary; 72,588, in ESO, and 75,913 in Baccalaureate) and the Netherlands (46,042, in primary; 46,394, in ESO, and 46,394, in Baccalaureate).