GREEK riot police attacked last Friday, with tear gas, a 3,000-strong Athens march of teachers and university students who were demanding the staffing of schools with teachers on permanent contracts and full labour rights.
The riot police attack took place near the official residence of the Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras who leads a coalition government of his party SYRIZA with the right-wing ANEL party as junior partners.
The march was called by the Co-ordination Committee of Temporary Teachers, of both primary and secondary level, who are demanding the appointment of teachers on permament contracts to the 25,000 vacancies at Greek nurseries and schools.
The Education Minister Kostas Gavroglou has admitted that since 2009 no teacher on permanent contract has been appointed, due to orders from the EC-IMF-ECB troika. He also said that some 30,000 teachers have been retired since then. The vacancies have been filled by teachers on one-year or six months’ temporary contracts on wages of about 800 euros a month, while teachers on permanent contracts receive about 1,100 euros a month.
Such government practices are being imposed throughout the public sector.
Following the march the Co-ordination Committee of Temporary Teachers along with delegates from teachers’ trade union branches and university students called a one-day general strike.
