Meeting today to publish teachers’ position
Teachers’ federation FENPROF is among so many factions that have seen opportunity in Portugal’s billowing political crisis.
Nine of the teaching sector’s largest trade union structures are sitting down this afternoon to decide a common position “in the current political context”, writes SIC.
With everything ‘hanging’ on the decision by President Marcelo on how the country should move forwards – to be announced tomorrow after the Council of State – FENPROF is clearly hoping that the ‘slightly open door’ on decisions on teachers’ frozen years of service might be nudged a little bit further in the right direction.
PSD social democrats have shown willingness to the idea of restoring teachers’ lost wages in full, over a period of five years – and this is all that FENPROF wants: an openness of approach that the PS government under António Costa has not been showing.
“This is not a process that can be quickly resolved”, FENPROF admits. But it is the one ‘change’ that would restore calm in the nation’s classrooms, and stop the constant demonstrations that have taken place over the last year.
Doctors and nurses too are starting to ‘hope’ that there might be resolution to their battles, as today’s scheduled ‘negotiations’ with health minister Manuel Pizarro have been cancelled, largely because there is no point negotiating with a rudderless government until people know where they are heading. ND
