The court considers the minimum volume of services established for the teachers’ strike illegal

The court found illegal the minimum services set for the final assessment strikes of grades 9, 11 and 12 held last school year, the trade union platform that called for the strike said this Thursday.

“A new ruling of the Court of Appeal of Lisbon (TRL) has now been published which declares illegal the minimum services imposed on the strike for the final final grade for years with final tests or examinations,” that is, for years 9, 11 and 12. The platform of nine trade union structures, which includes Fenprof and the National Federation of Education (FNE), said in a statement.

Last school year, union structures sent out more than 500 strike notices, and midway through the school year, the Ministry of Education began requesting minimum services.

In May, the arbitration tribunal ruled that the minimum services for a strike for the final assessment ordered by the Union of All Educational Specialists (STOP) for the 12th year assessment, and in June the same court ruled that the minimum services for a strike called by the platform , nine education unions in the final exams of grades 9, 11 and 12.

The platform has decided to challenge the decision to introduce a minimum volume of services in court and says it has now received a response that confirms it was right.

Accusing the guardianship of resorting to “illegal minimum services” and “empty teacher strikes,” the platform understands that “in relation to the final grades for all years of study, the required minimum services went beyond what the law itself establishes.”

However, as the platform continues, the arbitration panels decided that “always based on the intention of the MOE, which is clear evidence of a lack of independence in relation to political power.”

This Thursday, unions return to condemn cases in which “teachers were even prevented from going on strike under threat of disciplinary proceedings.”

Regarding the platform, those in charge of the ministry “resorted to illegal and undemocratic means” to try to derail the teachers’ struggle: “Even though they managed to defuse one strike or another, they failed to jeopardize the ongoing struggle,” they said. draw a conclusion.

As for the guardianship, the demand for minimum services was always justified by fears that a strike might jeopardize the public school.

The Ministry of Education justified its decision by citing the need to “guarantee the interest of students and families, in particular in terms of the predictability that the assessment cycle should have,” in addition to access to higher education.