The district strikes end this Wednesday with a demonstration in Porto, on the day when the strike declared by another union ends and only the Union of All Educators (Stop) remains.
According to the National Federation of Teachers (Fenprof), the strike of the districts, which began on January 16, will end this Wednesday in Porto with a demonstration on Avenida dos Aliados, which is supposed to attract “thousands of educators and teachers from all over the district.” is part of the platform of the eight trade union organizations responsible for the strike.
This Wednesday also marks the end of the first period strike, organized by the Independent Union of Teachers and Educators (SIPE), which began at the start of the second period.
“We see many thousands of people on the streets of Porto today and also on the 11th at the national demonstration that will take place in Lisbon,” said SIPE’s Lusa Julia Azevedo, adding that “the teachers are united and will not let their demands be made.”
Despite the apparent end of these two shutdowns, the strike, started by Stop in December and already given advance notice by February 24, will continue.
The new Arbitration Board has already determined minimum services for strikes until February 24, guaranteeing the presence of employees and teachers.
Minimum services currently in place specify that schools must guarantee support for students with special educational needs, as well as those at risk of dropping out of school, as well as those who are at risk and have been identified by the Commissions for the Protection of Children and Youth (CPCJ ).
The arbitration panel again determined that schools would have to reopen safely and guarantee meals for students.
The strikes, which began in December last year, began by challenging the education minister’s ideas for a new model for hiring and placing teachers, which were extended to the old demands of staff and teachers.
The restoration of frozen service time or the end of quotas and vacancies for access to the 5th and 7th levels are the two main requirements of the teachers, who said that they are available for a phased restoration over several years.
However, the finance minister rejected these proposals, saying they were not financially feasible: according to financial data, the return of six years, six months and 23 days of frozen working time costs about 331 million euros per year. .
The professors say they disagree that “there is money to build stages and give millions of prizes to company executives, but not enough to pay for the work done,” said Julia Azevedo.
The unions and the ministry have already held four unsuccessful rounds of negotiations on a new teacher recruitment and placement model, and a new meeting is due later this week.
The National Confederation of Parents’ Associations (Confap) emphasizes that schools are experiencing these strikes in different ways: in areas where “classes have not been held since the beginning of January, and in others where students attended all classes.”
The president of Confap warned of the need to map the impact of the strike and secure support for affected students to enable them to recover lost items.
The president of Confap warned of the need to map the impact of the strike and secure support for affected students to enable them to recover lost items.