he strike by districts, called by the platform of nine union organizations, ends today in Lisbon and the last of 18 days of strike will be marked with a concentration in Rossio square.
To mark the end of the strike that covered the country for 18 days, the union platform, which includes the national federations for teachers and education (Fenprof and FNE), has called a gathering at Rossio square, starting at 3pm.
Before that, teachers will be concentrated in front of the António Arroio school, a choice that Fenprof justified, in a press release, with the need to insist on the binding and approval of a specific regime of competitions for teachers of artistic schools.
The strike, which replicated an initiative by the same union organizations earlier this year, started on April 17 in Porto, from where it went on to cover all the country’s districts in reverse alphabetical order, from Viseu to Aveiro, with an average membership close to 80%, according to Fenprof.
The full recovery of frozen service time and the elimination of quotas and vacancies for access to the 5th and 7th grades continue to be the main reasons for the teachers’ protest, which will culminate in a national strike and two demonstrations on June 6th.
During today’s meeting, in Rossio, the union platform will announce a new action of struggle starting on May 22nd.
In addition to Fenprof and the FNE, the Trade Union Association of Licensed Teachers (APSL),the Pro-Order of Teachers (PRÓ-ORDEM), Union of Educators and Licensed Teachers (SEPLEU) are part of the platform, Sindicato Nacional dos Profissionais de Educação (SINAPE), Sindicato Nacional e Democrático dos Professores (SINDEP), Sindicato Independente dos Professores e Educadores (SIPE) and Sindicato Nacional dos Professores Licenciados pelos Politécnicos e Universidades (SPLIU).
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education will meet with the sector’s unions again on Monday for further negotiations on the measures proposed by the executive to correct asymmetries arising from the freezing of the teaching career.
The measures, with impact on service time and career progression, were contested by the teachers’ representatives, who insist on the elimination of vacancies for access to the 5th and 7th steps and the recovery of all service time (six years, six months, and 23 days).
