Minimum services oblige to keep all schools open regardless of strike

The minimum services, which began this Wednesday at schools, will ensure that no educational institution will be closed, regardless of the strike that teachers and staff adhere to, the directors’ association told Lusa, citing the guardianship.

“The idea behind minimum services is to keep schools open. That’s the answer the ministry gave us,” said the president of the National Association of Group and Public School Principals (ANDAEP).

Filinto Lima explained that the association questioned the guardianship over “whether minimum services would be required even with multiple ongoing strikes and the answer was that even in the case of overlapping strikes, minimum services would need to be activated.”

There are currently four strikes organized by various trade union structures, and last week the Arbitration Board decided to introduce minimum services only in connection with the protest of the Union of All Educational Workers (STOP).

In a response sent to ANDAEP, to which Lusa had access, the ministry explained to directors that “established minimum services must be performed in all education and training institutions on certain days, regardless of the number of strike advance notices.” for each of these days.

Asked about the impact of the first day of minimum services, Filinto Lima said he had no information about problems in schools.

“Although it’s still a little early to strike a balance, I think that minimal services are being performed if needed, and may not be needed,” he stressed, defending that it is now necessary to determine how next week will be.

The President of ANDAEP recalled that “The Arbitration Board only worried until the day the STOP called for a strike, which was February 4, but the next day the union submitted another notice” regarding the following week.

“Principals want to know if these minimum services will continue because they are only set until Friday for teachers and Saturday for non-teaching. Will there be minimum services next week? We don’t know,” he said.

In recent days, directors have had to call staff and teachers to implement the decision of the arbitration board.

Manuel Pereira, president of the National Association of School Principals (ANDE), criticized the government’s decision to hand over the task to principals, leaving them in a situation of “great discomfort”.

“Principals are teachers like everyone else, and this situation has only created new conflicts between teachers and principals,” said Manuel Pereira, stressing that setting minimum services does not solve the real problem of schools.

“No one can eradicate the discontent that exists in schools, with or without strikes, with or without classes. This is something we should fight against, not introduce minimum services, and that is why it is worth working on,” he said.

Manuel Pereira added that the process of selecting people to guarantee minimum services “went well”, reiterating that the directors were limited to complying with the law.

“We are law-abiding, and if there is a minimum service order, we must comply with it. We limited ourselves to complying with the law, and this is another payment for being a director,” he lamented.

Support for students with special educational needs and students in vulnerable situations, therapeutic support and nutrition are some of the services teachers and non-teachers have begun to provide today.

Schools must also ensure student enrollment in units integrated into Learning Support Centers, continuity of social-emotional well-being activities as part of the learning recovery plan, and concierge and student monitoring services.

This is the third time minimum services have been set for schools, and until 2013 the law did not include education as a “basic social need”.