Classes in public schools of the City and the Province are affected this Wednesday by strikes called by union sectors with varied motivations. It is not a unified measure and therefore the impact is partial. But there are hundreds of empty classrooms and thousands of students without school activities.
In Buenos Aires, teachers aligned with Suteba's "Multicolor" list, who oppose Roberto Baradel's administration, began a 48-hour protest. Its main demand is the salary issue: to reject the parity agreement signed by the leadership of the union with the government of Axel Kicillof.
The measure hits hard in public schools of La Plata, much of the suburbs and large districts of the interior. It is impossible to report an accurate survey because the General Directorate of Schools does not make calculations and the conveners exaggerate with: "Very high adhesion throughout the province", but without concrete data.
Clarín was able to verify absences of teachers and professors in almost all the central establishments of the provincial capital. Posters informing parents about affected grades and divisions were seen on the canopies of all school buildings.
Another school without classes in the Province of Buenos Aires due to a 48-hour teacher strike. Photo: Luciano Thieberger
The strike is also noticeable in Bahía Blanca, Tigre and Marcos Paz, where the Multicolor group leads the local delegation of the union. But the Gran La Plata, Moreno, La Matanza and General Pueyrredón always register important adhesion in the calls of this sector that considers Baradel an "ally" of Kicillof, rather than a labor representative.
However, many children will find out if they have classes when they get to school.
In the City of Buenos Aires the reason and the conveners are different. The Union of Education Workers (UTE) announced the strike on Wednesday under the slogan "Enough of mistreatment of Education." In addition, there will be a mobilization on Avenida de Mayo.
As happened last week, the claim also includes "the non-installation of cameras in spaces that may violate the right to privacy and the tools of protection and repair for teachers, children and adolescents." This last point has to do with the case of the Kindergarten of Palermo where there were allegations of abuse against 3 teachers. Last week UTE had spoken of "unfounded complaints" when it called for the previous measure of force.
"Those who stop are a minority group that does not represent the will of the majority, but they exert pressure and generate discomfort," said Buenos Aires Minister Soledad Acuña. From the Ministry of Education added that "the call for the strike is given as a measure of pressure before the next salary discussion scheduled for this Thursday, May 18." They added that last year increases of the order of 107.7% were granted, while in 2023 64% was already agreed with revisions.
Province
"Entire schools, entire districts, show a willingness to face the adjustment despite the passivity of the pipelines," they said in the Multicolor regarding the strike in the Province. "We fight for a budget increase, a works plan to build all the missing schools, the creation of the positions of teachers and assistants and the increase of the school food service," they say from the sector led by the FIT deputy, Romina del Pla.
The teachers' protest comes hours after Kicillof signed a joint addendum to improve salaries and try to patch inflation rates. Teachers will get just over a 41% raise in the first five months of the year.
All with the endorsement of the Teachers' Union Unity Front, that is, with the grouping of entities that represent teachers and that includes Suteba.
What do they argue in Suteba? "(Those of Multicolor) are a minority who lost the elections," they say from the union. Even in a minority, last week they held a protest in the building of the Directorate of Schools that ended with injuries and a seizure. That day Sileoni had to suspend an advertisement.
The attitude of this internal line is a clear challenge to Baradel who, in addition to being secretary of the union, participates in the political events where he manifests himself in favor of the re-election of Kicillof.
And in the government what is the reaction? For now, Minister Alberto Sileoni only sent a request for reports to the Ministry of Labor to know if the protest of 48 complies with the formalities required by a measure of force. "The right to strike is constitutional, but there are conditions and, among others, one of them is that the organization that convenes has provincial representativeness," Sileoni said days ago.
In that distribution they told Clarín that "there was no formal request from any union for a strike. It would therefore be an illegal measure." With this data, the educational authorities decided to "evaluate" whether to sanction the adherents.
This scenario puts the government in an uncomfortable situation. Because, as they admit in Labor, because it is an "illegal protest" they should sanction those who convene (Suteba) and discount the day to the teachers. It never happened, even though in 2022 there were more than half a dozen similar strikes and this year too.
While these administrative, legal and political issues are being resolved, thousands of schools remain today – and will continue tomorrow – with empty classrooms.
La Plata (Correspondent)
SC
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