Demonstrations in Lisbon and Porto brought together 80,000 teachers.

The general secretary of Fenprof has estimated that around 80,000 teachers attended the demonstrations in Lisbon and Porto this Saturday, indicating that the teachers are not tired and “the struggle will continue”.

“For those who thought teachers were tired and tired of fighting, they can put their guitar in a bag. There are 40,000 teachers here and another 40,000 in Porto, which means that we have the largest demonstration on the streets,” said Mario Nogueira. in front of the Assembly of the Republic, the site of a demonstration in Lisbon that began at 3:30 pm in Rossio.

Mario Nogueira also criticized the minimum service demand for two days of the regional strike that took place on Thursday and Friday, calling the decision “unbearable” and ensuring that “the struggle will not stop.”

“The fight will continue until teachers are respected,” he said, urging teachers to be present at the ministry on March 9, when an additional meeting will be held to discuss the new recruitment and placement regime for teachers.

Negotiations between the guardianship authorities and trade unions on a new model for hiring and placing teachers began in September and ended in February without agreement.

This Saturday, Mario Nogueira again reminded thousands of teachers of some of the “red lines” of the document presented by the Ministry of Education, such as the creation of a kind of board of directors of schools with the power to appoint teachers to work in two groups.

But there are other reasons for protest, such as the restoration of some six and a half years of frozen service, supported by the PKP and the Esquerda Bloc, which returned to its presence at the demonstration in Lisbon today.

Speaking to Lusa, PCP’s Jorge Pires supported “the just demands of thousands of teachers and educators”, recalling that “they have always worked every day with great dedication and thought first of all about our children.”

According to Jorge Pires, the government will have to “give in because this is an ongoing struggle that will not end until the teachers achieve their goal.”

Bloc MP Joana Mortagua today stressed the “fair struggle” of teachers for the “right to a decent salary” and the payment of travel expenses, which allow teachers to work in parts of the country like Lisbon, where housing rents are even higher than yours. orders.

In a conversation with Lusa, Joana Mortagua recalled insecurity, cases of “teachers who pay for work” and all those who are “badly treated.”

“The government has done something unthinkable, which says on the outside that it is studying the possibility of restoring seniority, and then, at meetings, there is nothing,” the bloc deputy criticized, recalling that the restoration of six and a half years of the frozen service life is “the main condition for opportunities to negotiate with professors.

Among the teachers who took part in the demonstration in Lisbon today was Ana Fernandez. A teacher of visual education since 1996, Luce told Lusa that she felt “robbed by the current Minister of Education”.

Dressed as a thief, with a sign saying “Joao Costa”, Ana Fernandez explained that she decided to impersonate a minister who stole “the teachers’ hours, the right to strike, respect, peace of mind and nights of sleep.”

“Joao Costa didn’t read the minister’s instructions,” criticized Ana Fernandez, who has served 27 years and should be in the 6th step but is still in the 3rd after many years when her career was frozen and “obsolete by colleagues.” .

Susana Morte, 51, also traveled from Olhão to demonstrate in Lisbon today. The 1st cycle teacher criticized the work schedules, stating that on average, instead of “35 hours a week, she works 50 to 60 years” due to the bureaucracy that teachers are required to deal with.

With a sign on his chest “We are not pigeons to take crumbs. We are still fighting”, Susana Morte also demanded to restore the length of service and criticized the retirement age, citing colleagues “51 and 52 years old” as an example. old ones who are already tired of sitting in the classroom with the boys all day long.

“Time to count, not to steal” is one of the most blatant phrases of teachers who demand that the government start a negotiation process for the restoration of more than six years, during which their careers were frozen during the Troika.

The last demonstration called by the trade union platform took place a little less than a month ago, on February 11, and many of the reasons for the protest remain unchanged.