In the education sector, commitment to this Friday’s civil servants’ strike is around 90%, said the general secretary of the National Federation of Teachers (Fenprof), highlighting the “excellent response” of workers to government policies.
“In education, we can say that practically Friday will be a day without classes. There are few open schools. strike,” said Mário Nogueira Lusa, noting that “the strike (…) will affect education by about 90%.”
The General Secretary of Fenprof emphasized the combination of the teachers’ strike with the strike of non-teaching workers and noted that the effect of the strike extends to basic education, second and third cycle schools and secondary education.
“This is yet another excellent response from educators and, more generally, from government to these policies that are both notorious for government but also destructive and perverse. By devaluing government, we not only attack those who work there; we are attacking citizens,” he concluded.
“Those who work in public services – and this is no exception in the case of education – cannot remain aloof from these policies. Therefore, this Friday’s strike will definitely have huge support, and it has it, because it is, first of all, a cry of protest and indignation on the part of those who work in public administration,” he emphasized.
Fenprof Secretary General also stated that the education sector will return to action on November 13, when Education Minister João Costa will be in Parliament to present the draft state budget for the sector, and assured that “signs that teachers remain ready to fight are such the same as last year.”
The General Front of Civil Service Trade Unions (CGTP) announced on October 9 a national strike by workers this Friday, deeming the government’s proposed wage increase for 2024 “pathetic.”
Next year, the minimum wage for public administration employees is planned to increase by 52 euros or 3%.
The common front demands a wage increase of at least 15%, a minimum of €150 per worker, to counter the “brutal rise in the cost of living”.