Mallorca school heat: union wants air con in every class

Mallorca’s schools are part of a Balearic-wide heat warning: UGT says high temperatures make teaching harder at the great majority of the islands’ public schools from May to October. On 27 October, the union called for air conditioning that cools and heats every classroom, with a clear installation timetable and enough funding. It raised the demand at the Balearic Islands School Council, where education minister Antoni Vera was present.

Heat in the classroom

UGT says the heat affects both pupils and teachers. It wants action sooner than major energy-efficiency work could deliver: the union argues that such projects would reach only a small number of schools in the short term.

Some schools would first need electrical work to run air-conditioning systems safely, UGT acknowledges. But it says families should not have to pay for the investment.

Talks on teachers’ working conditions

The union also wants negotiations on teachers’ working conditions to resume. It says the education department promised further talks more than a month ago but has yet to set a new meeting. According to UGT, Vera said talks would restart in mid-November.

UGT is also calling for separate talks on working conditions in education for children aged up to three. It wants the administration, employers’ groups and unions involved in those discussions.

Topics: Jobs & labour · Education

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com