Wednesday’s nationwide education strike is set to widen beyond schools, as ADEDY, the umbrella union representing Greece’s public sector workers, has called a work stoppage across all government services in support of teachers, university staff, hospital doctors, and pensioners.
Public Sector Walks Out at 11 a.m.
ADEDY’s nationwide work stoppage will run on Wednesday, October 21, from 11 a.m. until the end of the workday and applies to all public sector employees, regardless of their type of contract. The aim is to free up civil servants to attend rallies in their cities.
In its statement, ADEDY urged public employees to add their voices to those of teachers, university staff, students, schoolchildren, and parents. Its own demands include wage increases, the restoration of the 13th and 14th monthly salaries, which were eliminated during Greece’s debt crisis, large-scale hiring of permanent staff, permanent contracts for temporary workers, and adequate funding for public education and health care.
The confederation is backing actions by OLME, the secondary school teachers’ federation; DOE, the primary school teachers’ federation; ODPTE, the federation of university administrative staff; and OENGE, the federation of hospital doctors’ unions. ADEDY argues that the problems facing workers, university students, and schoolchildren all stem from high prices, the rising cost of living, and shortages in public services.
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Public transportation workers are not covered by ADEDY’s stoppage, as they fall under a separate union structure. Unless their unions announce their own action, the metro, the ISAP electric railway, trams, buses, and trolleys are expected to run normally. However, police have said they are considering closing some central Athens metro stations as part of their security plan, so commuters should check for updates before traveling.
OLME: “Enough Is Enough”
OLME says the problems in public education have become especially severe, pointing to roughly 15,000 unfilled teaching positions, underfunded schools, and salaries it says do not allow teachers to live with dignity.
The federation also opposes what it describes as a growing division of public schools into tiers, citing Greece’s Model Schools, the Onassis schools, and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. It also criticizes the government’s planned changes to high schools and to the university admissions system, arguing they would make schooling even more exam-driven.
In its call to strike, OLME said teachers are walking out for modern, safe, and fully staffed schools, for teachers who can live with dignity, and for free public education that meets the needs of every child today.
Beyond Pay: Teachers’ Wider List of Demands
Alongside calls for a 20% pay raise and more staff, the teachers’ unions have put forward a number of less-publicized demands, including:
- Providing housing for educators who work far from their permanent residence
- Free travel between teachers’ homes and the schools where they work.
- Permanent positions for substitute teachers.
- An end to disciplinary action linked to union activity and the right to strike.
- School meals in all-day schools.
- Protection for students who take part in protests.
Students Camp Outside University in Komotini
The protests are also spreading beyond Athens. Since Tuesday morning, students from Kavala, Xanthi, Alexandroupolis, and Komotini have been pitching tents outside the administration building of Democritus University of Thrace in Komotini, in northeastern Greece, echoing the encampment in Athens’ Syntagma Square.
Other Actions on Wednesday
Pensioners’ organizations gathering in Athens’ Kotzia Square at 10 a.m. will march to the Health Ministry, while the union representing temporary staff at the Culture Ministry will rally at 10:30 a.m. outside the ministry at 20 Bouboulinas Street.