The teachers and auxiliary workers enrolled in the dissident Multicolor List of the Unified Union of Education Workers of Buenos Aires (SUTEBA) anticipated that They will carry out 2 days of protest throughout the provincial territory and with this, several schools in La Plata, Berisso and Ensenada could see the teaching of classes interrupted for the next few days.
As reported by the union representatives, who respond to an internal faction confronted with the current leadership of the union, in charge of Roberto Baradel; The protest will take place next Tuesday the 25th and Wednesday the 26th of this month.
Although, as indicated, “more than 2,000 teachers” voted to define the measure of force and 80% of them decided to go ahead with a 48-hour strike, the truth is that the scope of the measure is expected to be uneven and not affect the entire educational system, since the Multicolor List only represents a minor part of the educators in the province. The measure, however, comes amid the claim that the Buenos Aires Teaching Unity Front (FUDB) raised to the provincial authorities in the Ministry of Labor to activate the trigger clause of the last agreement reached and resume salary negotiations in the midst of a context high inflation.
Within this framework, the representatives of SUTEBA Multicolor detailed the reasons for the protest and explained that the decision was made to “call the fight measure” promoting several different slogans:
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“Salary equal to the family basket in one position and monthly indexation for inflation. Reopening of joint ventures now!”
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“Defending our working conditions”
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“Creation of all charges”
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“For the benefits of IOMA”
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“Scholarships for all students. Sufficient and nutritious SAE universalization”
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“Against violence towards schools and education workers”
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“Silver for education and the needs of the people, not for the debt”
The statement released in the last hours also indicates that “a new provincial meeting is expected to be held at the end of next week to evaluate the measure of struggle and prepare the continuity” of the protest, so it is not ruled out that the measure of force can be replicated again in the course of the next few days.
TEACHERS CLAIM EQUAL PARTIES
The unions that make up the FUDB asked the provincial Ministry of Labor to convene an “urgent” salary technical table, in order to “activate the follow-up and review clause” of the last joint agreement. Through a statement, the unions reported: “The FUDB has raised the requirement to the Ministry of Labor of the Province to urgently convene the technical salary table for the purpose of activating the follow-up and review clause of the salary agreement of February 2023 for this first half of the year”.
Educators believe that “the strong increase in prices due to the inflationary conditions of the economy is having a hard impact on the purchasing power of teaching workers”.
“That is why the unions that are members of the FUDB have made this request today, which is part of the recognition of the compliance that the government of the province of Buenos Aires has been carrying out, effectively and punctually, in the application of the salary update and review clause”, detailed the teachers enrolled in the Unified Union of Education Workers of Buenos Aires (SUTEBA), the Federation of Buenos Aires Educators (FEB), the Union of Teachers of the Province of Buenos Aires ( UDOCBA), the Argentine Union of Private Teachers (SADOP) and the Association of Technical Education Teachers (AMET).
At the end of February, the teachers agreed with the government of Axel Kicillof an increase of 40% for the first half of the year in three sections: 18% in March, 10% in May and 12% in July. This included the review clause and the commitment to reopen negotiations in August.
The request of the teachers is added to the reopening request that they have been making from the Union of Civilian Personnel of the Nation (UPCN), the Association of State Workers (ATE) and the Federation of State and Private Unions of the Province of Buenos Aires (FEGEPPBA) in the parity that frames the state workers of law 10,430.
