Thousands of teachers and other professionals demonstrated in Lisbon
Teachers and other respiratory education workers demonstrated this Saturday in Lisbon, in a march convened by the Union of All Education Professionals in defense of public schools and against proposals to violate competitions. We follow here, to the minute, the protest action.
7:33 pm – PCP. Teachers have “plenty of reasons” to be in struggle
The general secretary of the PCP says that the teachers have “plenty of reasons” to be fighting.
Paulo Raimundo considers that it is a struggle for everyone and not just for teachers.
7:30 pm – Criticism of the “persecutory” PSD of the Government
Margarida Balseiro Lopes, from the PSD, left “a word of solidarity with all professionals in the Education sector”.
The Social Democratic Party stands in solidarity with those who demonstrated this Saturday in Lisbon and accused the government of not giving positive signals regarding the negotiation process that will resume next week.
18:56 – Chega announces bill on march day
André Ventura’s party released this Saturday a bill that aims to shorten the deadline for the early retirement of kindergarten teachers and teachers of basic and secondary education.
The diploma has not yet been formally entered in the Assembly of the Republic.
Chega proposes that the Teaching Career Statute should provide for early retirement for professionals who are “at least 60 years old and who, while at that age, have completed at least 36 years of effective exercise of functions”. “.
The reform could be requested “regardless of submission to the medical board and without payment of application of the unified pension regime”.
This legislative change would come into force “with the State Budget for 2024”, according to the Chega project, whose content is quoted by the Lusa agency.
18:26 – “STOP never attacks the strikes of others”
André Pestana refers to criticisms by other union structures of the All Education Professionals Union’s ways of fighting. “Why aren’t they here?” he asks.
In the closing speech of the rally in Praça do Comércio, the STOP leader once again evoked words from the supervising minister, which provoked the “unpredictability” of the teachers’ strike. André Pestana then condemned “the unpredictability” that “the policies” of the Ministry of Education imply for the lives of professionals in the sector, “such as changing the rules in the middle of the game”.
“The united school will never be defeated”, they shout in Terreiro do Paço.
6:12 pm – Barbs to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education
André Prestana recalls that the Minister of Education, João Costa, went public on Friday to say that “he does not understand such a strong strike in the middle of the negotiation period”.
“The Ministry of Education has refused to meet on essential issues for those who work in schools”, accused the leader of the Union of All Education Professionals, who then criticized the transfer of competences in school matters to regional entities.
André Prestana also predicted that the Prime Minister, António Costa, may “wake up tomorrow” to the reality of mass protest by teachers and other school professionals.
The leader of STOP André Pestana is currently making the speech that will end this Saturday’s protest action.
“Here we are, stronger than ever, much more than 100,000”, claims the unionist, to later thank the participants in the demonstration for the “democratic struggle”.
17:41 – Teachers gather at Praça do Comércio
The speeches were already taking place on the stage set up in Praça do Comércio, where the large thousands of teachers and other professionals from the education sector who took part in the protest march are now.
Protesting teachers are already concentrated in Praça do Comércio, the destination of this afternoon’s march.
But there are still thousands to walk the route from Marquês de Pombal.
4:46 pm – “It’s historic.” STOP the statement of teachers and critical authorities
Heard by RTP, during a protest march by teachers in Lisbon, André Pestana, leader of the Union of All Education Professionals, denounced what he described as inspections by the authorities of teachers who were heading to the capital.
He also pointed to more than 100,000 people in this Saturday’s action.
4:28 pm – Balance sheets and divergent reports
The PSP started, around 4 pm, the estimate of more than 20 thousand people in this afternoon’s march in Lisbon, but STOP advances that there will already be 100 thousand.
There are also reports of several buses being authorized for inspection by the GNR and the PSP, thus preventing more teachers from joining the protests in Lisbon. In a statement, the National Republican Guard asserts that this “does not correspond to the truth”.
“According to the news published in the Media, this morning, about the operations directed at the buses that transport the teachers heading towards Lisbon, it should be informed that the National Republican Guard carried out its daily activity throughout the morning in the scope of road inspection, and heavy passenger vehicles, such as several other vehicles, may have been randomly inspected”, reads the note from the Guard.
“The allegations that these operations are aimed at the displacement of teachers and that it is intended to make this movement difficult, given that inspections are completely random, do not correspond to the truth”.
The PSP also came to “categorically” deny having inspected vehicles in which protesters were transported. And he thanked “the civilized way in which teachers are exercising their right to demonstrate”.
4:18 pm – Costa confident in agreement with teachers’ unions
António Costa still believes in an agreement with the teachers’ unions. And guaranteed to continue next week.
At the meeting of the PS National Commission, the socialist general secretary defended a new model for the teaching career, which avoids displaced teachers.
António Costa again underlined that the idea that municipalities will manage teachers in the decentralization process is a “fantasy”.
16:02 – Avenida da Liberdade full of teachers in protest
3:55 pm – More than 20,000 teachers march
The estimate is adopted from the Lusa agency by the PSP officer responsible for policing the concentration and march of teachers.
RTP reporting teams have been following the protests since the beginning.
3:37 pm – Minimum services?
On the eve of this demonstration, the Minister of Education held a press conference to ensure that the Government remains open to negotiation.
João Costa stated that the strikes have minimal consequences for teachers and maximum impact for students and families.
Camila Vidal – Antena 1
And the Government does not rule out also asking for minimum services.
3:15 pm – March in progress
The teachers marched, at this time, along Avenida da Liberdade towards Praça do Comércio.
Drums and horns can be heard in the Marquês de Pombal square, where teachers hold up white sheets to say “goodbye to the Minister”. They also wield signs claiming to be in the profession, in defense of public schooling and for access to the top of careers.
“Minister, listen, the school is in struggle”, “no to municipalization” and “united for education” are slogans of this rally.
Remember that this is the second demonstration in Lisbon in the space of a month. The first will have brought together more than 20,000 teachers, according to the STOP count
14:45 – Bloco de Esquerda presents on the march
Speaking to journalists, the coordinator of the Bloco de Esquerda, Catarina Martins, stated that “the way in which the Socialist Party has treated the school is unacceptable”.
14:33 – STOP talks about “fantastic march”
The union hopes to arrive at Terreiro do Paço with 50,000 people taking part in this afternoon’s demonstration.
“We are not radicals”, affirmed union leader André Pestana, in the face of criticism from the tutelage.
2:30 pm – PAN joins the protest
Present at the rally, the leader of the People-Animals-Nature party Inês de Sousa Real showed solidarity with the teachers.
14:25 – Concentration of teachers already fills Marquês de Pombal
The RTP reporting teams got to know the first moments of the protest action called by STOP, in the early afternoon of this Saturday.
14:00 – Scheduled time for the start of the march
The teachers’ demonstration begins at this time in Lisbon. 50,000 people are expected at the protest in the streets of the capital.
The rally takes place at Marquês de Pombal and the protest march then moves on to Praça do Comércio, in Lisbon.
Shortly before the start of the concentration, RTP heard the teachers’ arguments in the Marquês de Pombal square.
This is a demonstration convened by STOP – Union of All Education Professionals and is the second in the space of a month. The union structure hopes that teachers, non-teachers, parents, students and professionals from other sectors will participate in the protest action, which aims to challenge the proposals to change the competitions and defend the public school.
The march takes place in a context of strong opposition from teachers, who have been on strike since December 9. The shutdown was extended until the end of January.