The Government rejects the PP’s proposal for an extraordinary credit and ensures that the solution lies in strengthening the budgets
The Vice President of the Asturian Government, Gimena Llamedo, and the Minister of Finance, Justice, and European Funds, Guillermo Martínez, detailed in a press conference close to midnight the package of measures presented to try to end the teachers’ strike, defending the «structural» and «reinforcement» nature of the Asturian public education against conjunctural proposals like the one put forward by the PP.
Llamedo emphasized that the Government’s offer represents «a clear commitment to improving public education,» with measures that include the incorporation of 300 professionals in Therapeutic Pedagogy and Hearing and Language in the next three years, the reduction of counselor ratios, the reinforcement of educational and administrative assistants, as well as salary improvements that will place Asturian teachers above the national average.
«This package of measures is the best reflection of the commitment to public education, a heritage of all Asturians,» defended the Vice President, who recalled that the Government’s proposal exceeds 24 million euros annually only in the salary chapter and will be implemented over several budgetary exercises.
In response to the PP’s proposal, which on Wednesday proposed negotiating an extraordinary credit to resolve the conflict, Llamedo and Martínez rejected the formula as inappropriate for a fundamental problem: «The extraordinary credit is not the legal figure appropriate for a measure with a structural vocation,» they pointed out, accusing the popular party of «opportunism» and recalling that «if the PP supported public education, they would have endorsed budgets that included free university tuition and the network of nursery schools for 0 to 3-year-olds, instead of proposing temporary solutions now.»
Martínez insisted that the solution lies in «strengthening the budgets and consolidating commitments,» inviting the PP to demonstrate their support for public education in the upcoming budget negotiation. «We will wait for that moment and I hope they surprise me,» he emphasized, highlighting that the set of measures presented responds to historical demands of teachers and aims to ensure the equity and quality of the Asturian educational system.
Both leaders reiterated their confidence in reaching an agreement with the unions and defended that the negotiation remains open, with the goal of «emerging from this situation with a stronger and more dignified public education for everyone.»
FUENTE
