The PP communities stand up to Universities and leave the salary of 3,400 professors up in the air

The eleven regional governments of the PP have prevented this Wednesday the approval of 149.6 million euros destined to finance the salary of 3,400 professors in public universities. None attended the General Conference of University Policy convened to ratify the distribution, a coordinated absence that left the plenary without the required quorum.

Andalusia, Cantabria, La Rioja, Valencian Community, Extremadura, Madrid, Castilla y León, Galicia and the Balearic Islands had requested the postponement due to the emergency caused by the fires. Murcia confirmed that it would participate, but finally did not connect either, while Aragon neither responded to the call nor appeared.

The communities argued that their efforts should focus on managing the fires. Andalusia has defended that it repeatedly requested the postponement and has accused the Ministry of lack of dialogue and sensitivity towards the affected territories. The meeting, however, was held by videoconference, lasted less than thirty minutes and allowed any counselor to delegate their representation to another senior official.

The agenda consisted of two points and the distribution had been approved unanimously by the delegated commission. Only formal ratification was missing to initiate the transfer procedures. "There was no pending negotiation, there was no disagreement about the distribution and there was no pending political vote," explained sources from the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities.

Basque Country, Catalonia, Asturias, Castilla-La Mancha, Navarra and the Canary Islands were willing to participate. Their presence was insufficient because the regulations require the attendance of half plus one of the communities. The contrast has increased tension between administrations, since on Tuesday a sectoral conference on Transport was held normally, which was attended by the PP governments.

A closed agreement that now loses its schedule

The 'María Goyri' program was born in 2024 to rejuvenate staff affected by temporary employment and the retirement of thousands of teachers. The State will contribute close to 900 million over six years to pay for 3,400 assistant doctor professor positions, while the communities will finance another 2,236 with an investment exceeding 600 million.

The 5,636 positions must be stabilized at the end of that period. In May, all those financed by the central government had already been covered, compared to 14.5% of those assumed by the autonomous communities. The transfer blocked this Wednesday was intended to cover the 2026 annuity and sustain contracts that are already part of the campuses' planning.

The Coordinator of Student Representatives of Public Universities has called the snub "unacceptable." CREUP warns that the delay may force universities to advance money with very tight budgets, delay hirings, or have difficulties paying the salaries planned for the next academic year.

The blockade also harms the communities that did attend. Catalonia was to receive 34.88 million euros, Madrid 28.30 million, Andalusia 21.08 million, the Valencian Community 17.84 million, and Castilla y León 11.08 million. The absence of the popular governments has halted the complete procedure and delays the money destined for all territories.

The no-show was repeated at the Sectoral Conference on Education. The lack of quorum left pending another 31.3 million for Vocational Training projects, teacher training, student mobility, and the 'Skills' championships, in addition to the debate on the Strategic Plan for Inclusive Education and the reform of the first cycle of early childhood education.

Public universities with accounts at the limit

The delay comes when numerous campuses are facing serious financial problems. The most delicate situation is in Madrid, where the Rey Juan Carlos University closed 2025 with a deficit of 76.2 million and the Complutense needed an autonomous loan of 34.5 million to maintain its activity and face current expenses.

Ayuso signed a new multi-year model with the six rectors in March, although university platforms consider that the endowment will still be far from repairing two decades of underfunding. Their calculations place Madrid's investment at 0.51% of the regional GDP in 2031, almost half of the 1% target included in the Organic Law of the University System.

The five public Valencian universities have also warned that their new multi-year agreement still keeps the funds destined for singular needs and objective-based financing inactive. The Universitat de València maintains that it continues to be underfunded despite the stability provided by the new framework.

Madrid was also the last community to join the 'María Goyri' program. The Ayuso Government even accused the Executive of "blackmail" because the State refused to assume the entire cost and demanded co-responsibility from autonomous communities that have had university powers transferred since the nineties.

The Ministry assures that the 149.6 million will not be lost, but it no longer guarantees that they will arrive within the scheduled calendar. The Secretary of State, Juan Cruz Cigudosa, has sent a letter to the counselors after the no-show without calling them to a new meeting. Universities has not set another date to unblock the payrolls either.