POSDEP agrees to end strike
University teaching staff have agreed to return to work and end their three-month strike action in protest of the government’s higher education reforms. Hellenic Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (POSDEP) President Lazaros Apekis said on Friday the teaching union would still try to prevent the implementation of legislation that aims to tighten the academic and fiscal management of public universities. POSDEP agreed to go back to work but also announced that it would carry out a 24-hour strike on Wednesday to coincide with a student protest planned the same day. The university teachers’ main objection to the reforms passed earlier this month is that they believe the changes are the first step toward weakening free public education in favor of private institutions. Friday’s decision was reached as both strikes and student protests appear to be losing momentum. About 200 of a total of 600 university departments remain occupied, according to student bodies, down from a peak of 350.
