More than 20,000 teachers and education professionals, according to the organizers, demonstrated this Saturday in Lisbon in a protest in defense of public education and against recent proposals to modify professional competitions.
The march was called by the Union of All Education Professionals (STOP), an organization with hundreds of affiliates, and banners with slogans such as «Goodbye to Mr. Minister» or in defense of the dignity of the profession or of public schools could be seen at the march, reports the newspaper ‘Diário de Notícias’.
The march started in the Marques de Pombal square and ended in the Comercio square, in the center of the Portuguese capital, to the rhythm of drums and horns.
The national coordinator of STOP, André Pestana, explained in declarations to the Lusa news agency that the teachers’ struggle also brings together non-teaching personnel who also demand a «public school of quality and excellence».
This protest has been fueled by the declarations of the Minister of Education, Joao Costa, who on Friday showed his concern for the «disproportionality» of the STOP strike and his intention to resort to minimum services.
«Minister, listen, the school is in struggle», «No to municipalization» or «United for education» were some of the slogans chanted by the attendees, who demanded labor improvements such as the reduction of precariousness.
STOP began an indefinite strike on December 7, which has been joined by teachers and staff of Portuguese public schools, including lock-ins in the schools themselves.
The reason for the strike was the modification of the teacher selection and hiring process and after the government opened the door to the participation of school management in the selection of teachers. They are also asking for salary improvements.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
