KokkinoTsakali
11th May 2013, 16:49
The union of secondary school teachers (OLME) announced on Friday its decision to launch two strikes that they will cause serious disruption of university entrance exams and affect thousands of high school students.
OLME decide for a 24-hour strike on May 17th, the first day of exams, while it proposed also another five-day strike starting on May 20th, 2013. However the final decision for the teachers mobilization will be taken on May 15th, just two days before the exams start.
OLME blames the Education Ministry for provoking the strike with its decision to submit the legislation during the Holy Week, when teachers were on holiday and without previous consultation with the teachers’ unions.
The decision of Education ministry foresees the transfer of 4,000-5,000 teachers to other posts and the increase the weekly working hours to two additional.
“This will have the effect that the hourly-occupied teachers in public schools will lose their jobs,” the president of OLME told media adding that this will affect 10,000 people.
The teachers have claimed that 1,800 work places will be lost alone in the Attica region.
The government threatens to issue ‘mobilization orders’ if the teachers would indeed launch their strikes during the exams.
(source: here (http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2013/05/10/teachers-govt-conflict-threatens-university-entrance-exams-for-thousands-of-students/))
What's been bothering me is that PAME said that they will only support the strike when the mobilization is issued. The reason behind this decision, is that they perceive the immediate reaction of the working class as "clear adventurism".
Although I agree that it may be a little rushed, I believe that letting the rage of the teachers, students and their parents be buried, in order to organize a mass strike, is clearly a tactic that will fail. In my opinion, SYRIZA's and ANTARSYA's decision to support the teachers (before the mobilization orders are issued) was right, as opposed to KKE's decision to only intervene after the mobilization.
Isn't it quite a paradox, choosing to condemn the strike and only support it when the government chooses to supress it? I'd like to hear some opinions on this.
OLME decide for a 24-hour strike on May 17th, the first day of exams, while it proposed also another five-day strike starting on May 20th, 2013. However the final decision for the teachers mobilization will be taken on May 15th, just two days before the exams start.
OLME blames the Education Ministry for provoking the strike with its decision to submit the legislation during the Holy Week, when teachers were on holiday and without previous consultation with the teachers’ unions.
The decision of Education ministry foresees the transfer of 4,000-5,000 teachers to other posts and the increase the weekly working hours to two additional.
“This will have the effect that the hourly-occupied teachers in public schools will lose their jobs,” the president of OLME told media adding that this will affect 10,000 people.
The teachers have claimed that 1,800 work places will be lost alone in the Attica region.
The government threatens to issue ‘mobilization orders’ if the teachers would indeed launch their strikes during the exams.
(source: here (http://www.keeptalkinggreece.com/2013/05/10/teachers-govt-conflict-threatens-university-entrance-exams-for-thousands-of-students/))
What's been bothering me is that PAME said that they will only support the strike when the mobilization is issued. The reason behind this decision, is that they perceive the immediate reaction of the working class as "clear adventurism".
Although I agree that it may be a little rushed, I believe that letting the rage of the teachers, students and their parents be buried, in order to organize a mass strike, is clearly a tactic that will fail. In my opinion, SYRIZA's and ANTARSYA's decision to support the teachers (before the mobilization orders are issued) was right, as opposed to KKE's decision to only intervene after the mobilization.
Isn't it quite a paradox, choosing to condemn the strike and only support it when the government chooses to supress it? I'd like to hear some opinions on this.