Lewisham and Greenwich
Deserve Me (Inity Coalition Ciarán Flynn In Oaxaca in Mexico the teachers are armed and organized in militias: but in Greece the primary school teachers had a gun to the government's head in a strike that lasted six weeks and threatened to derail the right-wing administration's pay policy of austerity.
In a year where profits for banks have leapt 50 per cent, primary school teachers remain one of the worst paid sections of public sector workers, a situation that has been exacerbated by the 40 per cent reduction in purchasing power since the introduction of the euro in 2002.
The victory of the French students inspired a wave of occupations in Greek Universities before the summer which led to a postponement of the New Democracy government's demand hefty rises. plan to introduce private universities.
At the height of the occupations, the primary school teachers voted for a 5-day strike in the new term. As so t came to pass. After a weel ack at school, the teacher walked out and renewed their 5-day strikes on a weekly basis.
Their demands are encap sulated in their slogan "We want to live with dignity, just The wage increase they are fighting for would totally smash the government's incomes policy and encourage other groups of workers to on our wages".
Many teachers are forced to take second jobs just to make ends meet.
The wage increase they are fighting for would mean new teachers earning 1400 euros a month - the European Decency Threshold.
This would totally smash the government's incomes policy and encourage other groups of workers to demand hefty rises.
The teachers demand stable and permanent work for all at a time when 20 per cent of teachers are on temporary contracts and day-rates.
Even the daily rate of pay for the latter was reduced from 10 to 7 euros before deductions last year. Teachers are often forced to work unpaid overtime to cover the duties specified in their contracts.
They also aim to pressure the government to spend 5 per cent of GNP on education and to reduce class sizes to
Teachers were already angry last year when one 48 hour strike and 3 24-hous strikes were held. But the straw that broke the ...... chalk was a national plan for education unveiled by the