Thousands of teachers gathered in Lisbon for the protest march
(in update)
Before the scheduled time for the start of the march organized by the Union of All Education Professionals (STOP), thousands of teachers from all levels of education were already on Avenida 24 de Julho, in Lisbon, raising posters with their claims and protests. .
After a march of more than three kilometers, thousands of teachers and employees gathered in front of the Palace of Belém with “respect” and better working conditions. The STOP coordinator estimates that more than 100,000 people participated in the demonstration, a “sea of people” who joined the protest scheduled a week ago against minimum services in schools.
Six representatives, from teachers and non-teachers, were received by consultants for the area of Education of the Civil House of the President of the Republic, in the Palace of Belém.
André Pestana highlighted the fact that a “sea of people joined the protest that was scheduled just seven days ago”, last Friday, when STOP became aware that the guardianship intended that minimum services be provided in schools in case the strikes continue into February.
“Guardian of the Constitution, we ask for your interference” is one of the messages of a teacher who participates in the protest that will end in front of the Palace of Belém, where teachers hope to be heard by Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
This Saturday’s march is in response to the decision of the Arbitration Court, which on Friday decreed minimum services for schools following the unpredictability of the strikes decreed by STOP. The minimum services cover teachers, non-teaching staff and senior technicians, with a view to ensuring support for certain groups of students.
The leader of STOP considers the minimum services an “attack on democracy” and a desperate measure to quell protests from teaching and non-teaching staff.
The Confederation of Parents and those responsible for public schools, on the other hand, applaud the decision of the Arbitral Tribunal, although with doubts about whether the order can be applied in all schools, due to the lack of assistants.
The teachers demonstrating in Lisbon today are shouting against a “deposit school” and a “restaurant school”, defending a “school to learn and teach”.
At the first meeting, STOP completed the ministry’s proposal, but an arbitration panel decided on Friday that the minimum services would advance to the strikes called for February by STOP.
Meanwhile, two other strikes take place, one promoted by SIPE and the other by a union platform, which includes the two largest union structures in the field of education: Fenprof and FNE.
The reasons for the protests and strikes that started in December were linked to the Ministry of Education’s proposal for a new model for recruiting and placing teachers, but also to demand the recovery of the more than six years in which teachers worked but saw their frozen career or the end of vacancies for access to the 5th and 7th echelons.
STOP requires a minimum raise of €120 for everyone working in schools. Teachers ask for the return of frozen service time and the end of quotas and vacancies for access to the 5th and 7th levels. Questioned by Lusa about the conditions necessary to suspend the strikes, André Pestana stressed that this “is not a STOP decision. It is the thousands of people who are on the street today who will say when to stop”.
Today’s demonstration is the third called by STOP since December. In addition to this march, the union structures platform also scheduled another one for February 11th.
w/Lusa