Civil servants strike as teachers forced to work
Civil servants are to walk off the job on Tuesday in a bid to express solidarity with secondary school teachers after the government issued a civil mobilization order to force teachers to work on Friday when they had planned an anti-austerity strike.
Civil servants are to hold a rally on Tuesday, starting at 10 a.m. outside the main entrance to Athens University, following a small demonstration in the city center on Monday by teachers. ADEDY has also joined forces with the main private labor union, GSEE, in planning a work stoppage for Thursday, from noon until the end of the workers’ shifts.
The government on Monday issued civil mobilization papers to some 88,000 teachers who face arrest and possible dismissal if they fail to turn up for work from Wednesday, when the order comes into effect.
The Education Ministry reportedly made a concession, however, withdrawing a presidential decree foreseeing thousands of compulsory transfers of teachers – one of the key points of contention of protesting teachers – for revision.
The union representing secondary school teachers, OLME, had little luck in drumming up strong support. ADEDY called its solidarity strike for Tuesday after refusing a request from OLME to join its walkout on Friday, saying it did not want to create upheaval for students sitting university entrance exams.
OLME was also snubbed by the Council of State, which rejected an appeal for the government’s civil mobilization order to be “frozen.”
