Paraguayan teachers will hold a nationwide strike on September 17 and 18 to pressure the government to include an 8% pay increase in the draft 2027 General National Budget. The decision was made by representatives of unions in the sector amid the lack of an agreement with the Ministry of Education and Sciences and the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Silvio Piris, president of the Federation of Educators of Paraguay (FEP), said teachers had expected the demand to be included in a budget amendment after a commitment previously discussed with Education Minister Luis Ramírez. The percentage, however, did not appear in the proposal sent to Congress.
The executive branch is initially working with a 2.4% increase, a figure associated with the inflation rate used as a reference by the Central Bank of Paraguay. Unions consider the percentage insufficient and are calling for a phased increase: 5% between January and July 2027, followed by another 3% from August onward.
The long-term goal is to establish a professional base salary of 5 million guaraníes per shift for teachers. Organizations say the remuneration currently cited for the profession is around 4.2 million guaraníes; another union estimate puts the projected amount after the increase at approximately 4.6 million. The proposal also calls for linking salaries to annual inflation and to mechanisms within the teaching career structure.
Unions say incomes have lost purchasing power because of higher prices for the basic basket and fuel, as well as the three-percentage-point increase in pension contributions imposed by the Fiscal Fund reform. They are also demanding the inclusion of benefits considered longstanding in the 2027 budget.
The mobilization is expected to take place in departmental capitals. Leaders estimate that about 60,000 workers will participate and project turnout close to 90%, based on previous protests. These figures are union forecasts, not an independent participation count.
The movement could expand to coincide with the strike announced by the National Medical Workers’ Union (Sinamed) for September 21 and 22. If there is no government response, teachers are considering joining the doctors’ mobilization on September 22 and extending their own action plan for another three days, from September 22 to 24. The organizations say they are awaiting an official response by the end of the week and may continue the protests through the end of October.