WFTU - World Federation of Trade Unions

10/10/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/10/2021 12:17

Solidarity message of the World Federation of Teachers Unions with teachers on strike in Greece

The World Federation of Teachers Unions FISE, a member of the WFTU, expresses its solidarity with the teachers who are on strike in Greece on Monday, 11th October 2021, despite the government's bans and the efforts of the Minister of Education to make the decisions of teachers' unions illegal.

The 95% of the teachers voted in favour of the strike-abstaining from the process of categorization and downgrading of schools, despite the blackmail and threats from the Ministry of Education.

FISE welcomes the determination of the unions to continue their struggle and that they were not intimidated by the threats of the government who threaten with excessive fines and authoritarian penalties.

The struggles of teachers and students, the struggles of all workers, for the comprehensive education and the strengthening of the public school cannot be stopped by authoritarianism and intimidation.

Teachers and parents organized are resisting to turning schools into businesses. To the division of schools into categories A and B, as if they were football teams.

FISE calls on its trade union members to express their solidarity with the teachers' struggles in Greece. The problems in public and private schools are almost the same in all countries. Under the pretext of the pandemic, the privatization and commercialization of education, the reduction of wages, the non-permanent job, the inequality and the exclusion are constantly increasing. Teachers in Sri Lanka, Mexico, India, Pakistan, Morocco, Mali, Russia, and elsewhere are holding mobilizations. They need our support but they are also watching with interest the struggles of the Greek unions.

We support the strike rallies on Monday 11th October. We wish them strength for the reactions before the courts where the orders of the authoritarian government will be tried.

FISE, an affiliated member of WFTU, fights for free and equal education for all working class children as well as for the rights of teachers.

THE SECRETARIAT