Catalan Teachers' Unions Block Cadí Tunnel Toll, Causing 2-Hour Closure and 1.5km Tailbacks

Catalan teachers' unions USTEC and Professors de Secundària (Aspepc) blockaded the Cadí Tunnel toll on Friday evening, causing nearly two hours of full closure and up to 1.5km of tailbacks on the C-16 near the N-260 junction to Andorra.

The action at kilometre 130 began in the afternoon with around 60 protesters forming a human chain, halting all traffic without the initially planned 15-minute openings for vehicles. The Servei Català de Trànsit (SCT) reported normal traffic resumed by 20:30, an hour earlier than the three-hour limit organizers had anticipated. The protest coincided with peak weekend tourist and resident inflows to the Principat.

Earlier, participants had gathered in La Seu d'Urgell for an 11:30 breakfast at Plaça del Camp del Codina, followed by a 12:30 march through the town centre that ended around 13:45 at Plaça de l'Ajuntament. USTEC Alt Pirineu delegate Marisol Salvadó had previously stated the morning events would not affect Andorra routes. In the afternoon, a vehicle convoy departed from the Doctor Peiró car park at 16:30, reaching Martinet by 17:00 and Bellver de la Cerdanya by 17:30 before arriving at the site.

Separate protests occurred in Val d'Aran, including a 10:30 gathering in Es Bòrdes and an N-230 road blockade from 11:00, followed by a communal lunch and assembly.

At the blockade, Salvadó rejected claims of a 30% salary rise, calling it "inadmissible and intolerable" and a lie. CGT militant Ismael Sànchez noted a year of strikes, while secondary teacher Xavier Mañé highlighted educational precarity. Unions dismissed recent deals by UGT and Comissions Obrers, demanding immediate salary recovery to match inflation, lower pupil-teacher ratios, recognition of teaching tasks, and more staff for inclusive education.

The actions followed a Tuesday Barcelona rally with Pyrenean delegates and Thursday protests in central Catalonia and Girona. Unions warn of potential strikes on 27 May, and 4-5 June across Catalonia, plus a Lleida-specific day on 4 June, though details for some remain undecided. Negotiations with the Catalan government remain stalled. Andorra-bound drivers should monitor updates.