Teachers will be on the streets during the legislative election campaign to give visibility to teachers' demands for the next legislature, the National Federation of Teachers (FENPROF) announced today.
In a press conference, the general secretary of FENPROF Mário Nogueira detailed the three actions planned until the legislative elections on March 10th.
The street action “Teachers in the campaign” will take place during the ten working days of the electoral campaign for the legislative elections in all district capitals and autonomous regions.
From north to south, in two districts per day, always at 10:00 am and 15:00 pm, teachers will gather in plenary sessions and circulate four petitions (which have already gathered the necessary signatures to be discussed in the next legislature): about careers, precariousness , working conditions and retirements.
Before the “Teachers in the campaign” action, the teachers' federation will hold, on the 14th, in Coimbra, a press conference with teachers prevented from competing for the mobility scheme due to illness.
On the 19th, there will be gatherings in all cities with administrative courts to urge the Government to politically resolve the reinstatement of teachers in the Caixa Geral de Aposentações, without the need to proceed with legal actions (which the teachers have won).
In internal meetings since the 1st, FENPROF unions approved a position on the legislative elections on March 10, in which they consider it "desirable" that there is not an absolute majority and consider a possible growth of the extreme right "very negative".
In this context, they appeal to teachers to find out about electoral programs and take note of party promises. «It’s best to see the small print», warned Mário Nogueira.
The federation's unions also approved the list of demands to be delivered to political parties, which sets objectives beyond the recovery of service time.
The valorization of the profession, the reinforcement of public school resources and the increase in public financing of education are the main lines of the document, in which FENPROF once again proposes a “negotiating protocol” to be signed with “the next team from the Ministry of Education”, valid for the entire legislature.
For the federation, valuing teachers involves rebuilding their careers, updating salaries, eliminating precariousness, regularizing working hours, creating specific retirement and mobility schemes due to illness and ensuring respect for trade union rights.
At the same time, FENPROF proposes reversing the municipalization of schools and “democratizing” their management, putting an end to mega-groups, as well as reinforcing the authority of teachers, “creating conditions to combat indiscipline, avoid violence and raise social prestige” of teachers.
In the document, the federation recalls that investment in education is far from reaching the six percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) recommended by international organizations.
“Underfunding (…) is becoming chronic and (…) could jeopardize public schools within ten years”, he anticipates.
In the four meetings already held – with BE, PCP, PAN and Livre –, the proposals were well received, said Mário Nogueira, in response to Lusa.
«These four parties have presented proposals to respond to many of the teachers' problems», he pointed out, stressing that «education must be at the top of the next Government's priorities».
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