Teachers Take Gov't Decision For Civil Mobilization Order To The Limit

Following a decision by the government to issue a civil mobilisation order forcing teachers to work through strikes planned during the nationwide university entrance examinations, the federation of secondary school teachers (OLME) called on major labour unions GSEE and ADEDY to call a general strike on May 17.

At the weekend OLME board members met to examine ways to prevent the orders being served to them. Inspite of this, the government began to distribute over 80,000 civil mobilization orders on Monday morning.

The civil mobilisation order reads that there is "an imperative need" to prevent the "threatened negative effects" of the planned 24-hour strike or any other strike called during the exam period.

Following the signing of the decision by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Saturday evening, Education minister Konstantinos Arvanitopoulos said that "the Prime Minister and the government have ended the agony of thousands of students." He added that the decision for civil mobilization of teachers was "politically correct and constitutionally necessary".

OLME has resolved to hold a 24-hour strike on May 17, the first day of the nationwide exams, as well and a five-day strike between May 20 and 25. Their action is primarily staged against the government's decision to increase teachers' working hours by two hours a week.