Striking non-teachers denounce the salary of those with 30 years of service equal to the salary of new employees

Non-teaching workers are on strike this Friday, as in the case of Belmira Santos, who has worked at the school for three decades and earns the same as the newcomer, that is, the minimum wage.

Belmira Santos was one of the women who walked out of the corridors of the Escola Artística António Arroio in Lisbon towards the school’s main entrance, where she joined dozens of colleagues to protest wage increases and working conditions.

Belmira has worked there for the last thirty years, and this experience, according to her, does not reflect on her salary: “I earn exactly the same as my colleagues who have arrived now. The problem is not the salaries of colleagues.

Everyone receives the minimum wage, which increased in January but barely exceeds 700 euros net, between deducting mandatory discounts and adding necessary subsidies such as food.

“The first thing I do when I get paid is pay my bills, and if I have leftovers, I go to the supermarket for food,” he said, explaining that this is why one of the main demands of non-teaching staff is to increase wages. , which should take into account antiques.

As with teachers, exploitative assistants are also an aging class that feels unmotivated and underappreciated, Artur Sequeira of the National Federation of Government and Social Workers Unions (FNSTFPS) warned.

Belmira Santos should be retired by now, but social security reports say she will have to keep working: “I was going to get 400 euros for retirement and I couldn’t survive on that, so I keep working. “said Lusa, wife of 68.

For 30 years, Belmira has gone through all the functions at the school, “from a broom to a computer”, now she is responsible for supporting and ensuring the safety of students in playgrounds and in the corridors.

But operational assistants are also called in when it is necessary to “accompany students to the hospital, in addition to being real psychologists.”

“Many times we ourselves are the first to find out that there is a problem because they come to us when they need it. We also take care of special education students, even though they don’t have any training for it,” added Christina Melo, 58. the old one, who was also on the street in protest.

Cristina Melo works at Antonio Arroyo’s bar. The operations assistant started working at the age of 14 and has been working in schools for the last 28 years.

Like Belmira, she also takes the minimum wage home: “We survive as best we can. It’s very difficult because prices keep going up and wages keep up,” says an employee who also “has gone through all the functions at the school.” “.

Colleague Ana Ramos told Lusa that she was once called to a class because the teacher was unable to separate the students. It was the staff member who separated them and led them out of the room so that the teacher could continue the training.

Artur Sequeira says there are not enough operational assistants in schools, and the few that are there are doing their job.

For this reason, the trade unionist advocates a revision of the current ratio ordinance, which determines the number of employees in each school, which should take into account situations such as the social context of educational institutions, as well as the age of employees: “People aged 62 or 63 cannot perform the same functions as the 25-year-old,” Artur Sequeira warned.

All the workers who spoke to Lusa are demanding the return of the specific profession as it existed before 2008, and are reminded of the importance of those who work in schools and deal with children and youth on a daily basis.

According to the FNSTFPS, the strike of non-teaching workers is over 85%.

In addition to this stoppage, there is also a teachers’ strike in the districts south of Leiria this Friday called for by a platform of nine trade union structures, including the National Federation of Teachers (Fenprof) and the National Federation of Education. (FNE), as well as the strike initiated by the Union of All Education Workers (STOP) in December, which includes all school workers, continues.