Greek Teachers plan new Strikes for September
Young Protestor clashing with Police last Month
Teachers and university professors in Greece are planning new strikes in September
Teachers have seen their pay and benefits cut equivalent to losing two months pay a year. Like the hundreds of thousands of people who have been demonstrating on the streets of Greece over the last period, teachers are determined to oppose the austerity measures which are laying waste to the country.
As the Greek government continues to do the bidding of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union (EU) in an effort to appease global bond holders, young people in Greece – like those for example who precipitated the revolutions in the Middle East and North Africa – see no future for themselves. Even highly qualified young people are often unemployed or engaged in low paid, precarious jobs.The demonstrations which are still taking place over this summer are often led by the young, known as the ‘aganaktismenoi’ or the frustrated ones.
Teachers have also been in the forefront of this movement as education – like other public services is cut to the bone. Over 1000 schools are scheduled for closure, teachers are unemployed to be replaced if at all by temporary cheaper staff, in service training is abolished and class sizes rise. Even teaching materials are becoming unavailable. As I write, only five of the 1200 textbook titles needed for the new school year are printed – because the Greek organisation which publishes educational books has been abolished and there is no paper.
Over the last months Greek teachers have been involved in general strikes, demonstrations and occupations. In February, we published a call from the Greek teaching unions for joint action in Europe. As governments all over the EU continue to attack education in an effort to shore up the crumbling economic system, this call can only become more urgent. Read it at: http://www.teachersolidarity.com/blog/greek-teaching-unions-call-for-united-european-action/#more-1071
Share this acticle:
August 04 2011 10:00 am | General
Sri Lanka: Unemployment A Serious Concern | Social Entrepreneur Guide on 10 Aug 2011 at 11:45 am #
[...] has written of teacher strikes and struggles in Puerto Rico, Chile, Kashmir, Orissa, Greece, Bahrain and Washington D.C. The blog is an online companion to the book, The Global Assault on [...]
Global: Acompanhamento de Greves e Protestos de Professores · Global Voices em Português on 10 Aug 2011 at 4:10 pm #
[...] [en] escreveu sobre lutas e greves de professores em Porto Rico, Chile, Caxemira, Orissa, Grécia, Bahrein e Washington D.C [todos em inglês]. O blog é o equivalente virtual do livro sobre o [...]
Japan: Perspective on London Riots scale in relation to Tokyo | Social Entrepreneur Guide on 11 Aug 2011 at 12:29 pm #
[...] has written of teacher strikes and struggles in Puerto Rico, Chile, Kashmir, Orissa, Greece, Bahrain and Washington D.C. The blog is an online companion to the book, The Global Assault on [...]
Israel: J14hackers build SMS-Twitter Gateway for Protests | Social Entrepreneur Guide on 14 Aug 2011 at 1:10 pm #
[...] has written of teacher strikes and struggles in Puerto Rico, Chile, Kashmir, Orissa, Greece, Bahrain and Washington D.C. The blog is an online companion to the book, The Global Assault on [...]