Teachers To Protest Over Plans To Increase Their Hours

Greek schoolteachers are planning a protest rally in central Athens on Sunday after learning that the government decided to add two more hours to their weekly workload. The rally, which is scheduled to take place on Sunday afternoon, was organized after they found out that in a bid to cut down on the cost of hiring substitutes to make up for shortfalls, the Education Ministry decided to force them to work an additional two hours a week.

Not surprisingly, the union representing the schoolteachers, OLME, said that the decision is “yet another bomb in public education and the working conditions of educators.” At the same time it warned that it may proceed with strike action during the crucial national university entrance exams, which begin on May 17. (In other words, they blackmailed both the government as well as the students).   
   
(Greek schoolteachers do not even work less than 30 hours a week. And they are the only segment of the public sector that gets a two-month paid vacation in the summer time. HellasFrappe believes that 2 hours a week, which equals to 8 hours a month, is certainly not a tragedy. Imagine if they were obligated to work an additional 10 hours... Would they stage an all-out war?)