The approximately 90 teachers who ensure the Extra Curriculum Activities (AEC) in basic schools in Portimão stopped this Friday, and for an indefinite period, because their February salary has not yet been paid to them, he told the Sul Informação one of the affected faculty.
These teachers are hired by the company «Educar a Sorrir», which, in turn, has a contract with the Portimão Council, to provide this service, which includes classes in Physical Activity, English, Expressions and Music. It turns out that, what that professor revealed, the autarchy again did not pay the company, preventing it from fulfilling its obligations.
“From what we've been told, the City Council will definitely not pay until the 15th. Before that date, there will certainly be no money. And then you don't know…».
AEC teachers already in December had stopped and, at the time, they had demonstrated in front of the Municipality of Portimão, being paid a few days later.
At that time, explained the teacher who contacted the Sul Informação, a payment plan was established with the municipality, which stipulated that it would always pay until the 8th of each month and that, if this did not happen, the teachers would paralyze their activity in schools. “This is what we are doing from today: we will be stopped until we are paid or until there is a clear answer from the municipality on when we will be paid”, stressed the teacher.
The same source also guaranteed that, this time, teachers should not demonstrate: "we chose to fulfill our part of the agreement made in December with the Chamber, that is, we will stop until we are paid or until there is a serious guarantee of when that will happen».
Even without the visibility of a demonstration on the doorstep of Paços do Concelho, the stoppage of the teachers responsible for the AEC will bring problems, as thousands of children from basic schools in Portimão are left without these activities. "If we don't work, nobody works, because parents have nowhere to leave their children," concluded the same source.
A source from the Office of the Presidency of the Portimão Chamber confirmed, in statements to Sul Informação, this late payment, but guaranteed that «a very great effort is being made by the Chamber to be able to honor this commitment, since it is at stake people, salaries, students».
However, according to the same source, "so far it has not been possible", not least because the municipality, in these first two months of the year, "has suffered a brutal drop in revenue".
“This is the Chamber's 1st payment priority, as per our commitment, but so far we have not been able to honor it. We are going to work with schools to see how we can resolve this», concluded the source from the Presidency's Office.
Updated at 18:17 pm, adding the position of the Municipality of Portimão.
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