Argentina: 4 of 6 University Unions Reach Agreement with Gov’t

IMF Attacks Education In Argentina

In Buenos Aires, hundreds of thousands of students, teachers, and workers from Argentina's public universities protested against the IMF and the government's austerity measures and to defend public education.From our new all video page- teleSUR Play

Δημοσιεύτηκε από teleSUR English στις Παρασκευή, 31 Αυγούστου 2018

The agreement was reached after the Argentine government changed their proposed wage increase from 15 to 25 percent.

Four of Argentina’s the six university unions leading protests and strikes against cutbacks in higher education have come to an agreement with the government on wage increases. However, despite the agreement, the National Federation of University Professor (Conadu) and the Federation of University Professor (Fedun) said they would remain on high alert and continue to fight back against “budget cutbacks, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) policies, and the shutting down of the Science and Technology, Health, and Work Ministries.”

Wages were one of the main demands that prolonged the conflict between the public universities and the government of Mauricio Macri since the government’s proposal didn’t correspond to or consider the increasing levels of inflations. University workers demanded a 30 percent increase while the ministry offered a 15 percent increase. On Friday they agreed on a 25 percent average increase to be reviewed in December and February.

The agreement did not stipulate increases in the budget for higher education, a demand that appeared to be central throughout this year’s protests.

The Historic Conadu rejected the agreement and recommitted to strikes scheduled for next week, between September 10 and 15. They claim the agreement did not include the “trigger clause” initially proposed to guarantee that drastic changes in inflation rates would mean a new wage increase, and argued the 25 percent increase is too low given the 42 percent inflation rate estimated by the government.

Education minister Alejandro Finocchiaro warned the union a strike would not be tolerated. “Historic Conadu can continue to show their discontent with other measures, but not with strikes. We have spoken to university directors… and instructed them to deduct days of the strike,” he said.

Solidarity to the workers employeed in the port of Piraeus by COSCO-DPORT

6th September 2018

The World Federation of Teachers Unions FISE with headquarters in Mexico, member of WFTU, salutes the workers, who are employeed in the port of Piraeus by COSCO-DPORT and other contractors.

We send a message of support and solidarity to the union ENEDEP, which is being prepared for the strike on Friday, the 7th of September.

We are following your struggle and know the their severity. Your past success is a fresh breath for the world syndicalistic movement and for the teachers unions.

It gives us the strength to teach the present generation, the generation which is being prepared by the capital as flexible workers with low wages, that nothing will be given to them as a gift. In the contrary everything is obtained with fierce and tenacious class struggle.

We support your requests for:

⦁ Collective agreements with raises of wages.
⦁ Permanent and consistent work for all.
⦁ Establishment of commitees for hygiene and security.
⦁ Prevention of professional illnesses and work injuries.

Every teacher who wants to support his own rights and the rights of the working class has the obligation to teach the pupils and the coworkers the severity of the requests said for all workers and employees.

Best of luck to your strike and the struggle that follows!

THE SECRETARIAT

Four million refugee children out of school

9/2/2018

 

Four million refugee children out of school

The UN figures on the education of refugee children are disturbing. The UN report states:

Four million refugee children around the world do not attend school, according to a report by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees published yesterday. Among other things, it is noted that by the end of 2017, there were more than 25.4 million refugees around the world, more than half of them were children and 7.4 million among them at school age.

Only the 61% of refugee children attend primary education, while the proportion of children worldwide is 92%. As they grow older, this gap is widening even more and nearly two-thirds of refugee children attending primary education fail to continue at secondary level. Altogether, 23% of refugee children attend secondary education, while the respective percentage for the other children worldwide is 84%.

In tertiary education, the gap is even higher, with only 1% of refugees having the opportunity to reach this level, where the global percentage of participation is 37%.

The UN report records the disastrous results of the imperialist wars and the impact on the future of millions of children. FISE calls the trade union organizations of teachers around the world to strengthen the struggles against the imperialist wars. To teach to the young people the truth about the competitions of the monopolies and the multinationals that lead to impoverishment, refugees, death of millions of people. To denounce the governments of the countries that in any way support or facilitate the imperialist plans.

The tears and the statements of sympathy for the tragedy of the refugees by the governments of the countries of the European Union are only to cover their filthy role in the ongoing war situation in Syria, Afghanistan, Palestine and elsewhere.

The struggle of all of us for peace must begin with the condemnation of the causes of the war and the governments that agree with them.

The World Federation of Teachers Unions, an affiliated member of the WFTU.

Solidarity to the rightful struggle of the Teachers in Cyprus

27th August 2018

Solidarity to the rightful struggle of the Teachers in Cyprus!

The World Federation of Teachers Union FISE, member of PSO, sends its salute to the struggling teachers in Cyprus, who are taking action.

The government of Cyprus announced in the first days of July 2018 measures against education, which it defines as “rationalisation” of Education!!

To be specific, the Anastasiadis’ cabinet reinforces the increase of the working hours of teachers. It decreases the necessary hiring for the following school year to half. The extracurricular activities (such us excursions, cultural events etc) are being limited and the school becomes therefore more and more a exam center!!

Meanwhile, it is being attempted to strike down the teachers’ movement by cutting down syndicalist leave, thereby making it for the teachers’ federation and for the educational syndicalist movement more difficult to take action.

These measures strike severely the right of the working class’ children to education.

FISE expresses its solidarity to the struggling teachers in Cyprus!

The teachers’ struggles all over the world is common for all of us and for the working class.

It is a struggle against governments who strike us down, against the capital and its representatives!

BEST OF LUCK IN YOUR STRUGGLE1

THE SECRETARIAT