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The Union of All Teachers (STOP) confirmed today that it will maintain the strike of teachers and staff during the first days of school, due to the lack of security conditions in some schools.
Last week, the union’s national coordinator told Lusa that he had issued a strike notice for September 14-17, as a way to “pressure the ministry to act,” but said it would take place for five days. a survey with professionals and then take a position.
The results of the survey, which asks whether strike warnings should be maintained in light of the safety conditions in schools, reveal that 70% of those surveyed agree to continue the protest action.
“STOP therefore decided to maintain the strike notices to allow education professionals who are in schools where, manifestly, they believe that there are no conditions for the strike,” confirmed the coordinator, André Pestana to Lusa.
The school year begins between September 14 and 17, in a context of the covid-19 pandemic that forced schools to implement a set of safety regulations, defined by the Ministry of Education and the General Directorate of Health.
However, André Pestana highlights that not all educational establishments are managing to ensure the necessary conditions.
“There are contrasting situations in different schools. There are schools where colleagues feel relatively safe, but in others where, in fact, colleagues feel unsafe and the survey also expresses that feeling,” he said.
It is for these professionals that the strike scheduled for the first days of the school year is aimed, he said.
For the national STOP coordinator, the problems invoked last week to justify the strike warning remain 10 days later and three days from the start of classes, that is, the number of students per class, the lack of operational assistants and the situation of professionals in risk groups.
Regarding the number of students, André Pestana reports that, in several cases, the classes maintain the same size and, therefore, it will not even be possible to ensure the physical distance of at least one meter.
On the other hand, the lack of personnel, a problem that claims to be old in schools, continues to occur in a year in which the role of these professionals is even greater, and some establishments have not seen their teams strengthened.
“Unfortunately, in some schools it will be very complicated, due to the effort and professionalism of the operational assistants, to maintain security conditions,” he lamented.
Finally, STOP questions the solution found for professionals in risk groups for covid-19, who will not be able to opt for teleworking and will have to resort to sick leave.
“It seems that there is clearly negative discrimination here for education professionals,” he said.
The General Directorate of Health (DGS) announced on Thursday the existence of 1,852 deaths and 62,126 cases of Covid-19 in Portugal since the start of the pandemic.
The death toll rose from 1,849 to 1,852, 3 more than on Wednesday.
The number of infected people increased from 61,541 to 6,2126, 585 more.
35,181 contacts remain under surveillance, 30 more than on Wednesday.
More than 904,000 deaths and almost 28 million cases worldwide
The covid-19 pandemic has already claimed more than 904,000 deaths and almost 28 million cases of infection in 196 countries and territories, according to a report by the French agency AFP.
After Europe succeeded China as the center of the pandemic in February, the American continent is now the one with the most confirmed cases and the most deaths.
