PRIMARY and secondary school teachers’ unions (POED and OELMEK respectively) will meet today to finalise plans for industrial action highlighting the impact of government austerity measures on their members.
POED head Philios Phylactou said yesterday the date of their proposed two-hour strike would be decided in the coming week, and will likely take place before next Friday.
“We will meet with OELMEK (today) and we hope to announce the date and the hour of the strike on Thursday, and it will take place next week,” he said.
Phylactou said teachers were taking industrial action as they were “easy targets” for government cutbacks, and to raise awareness of the effects of the economic crisis among those less affected.
“Until now, every teacher has lost a month’s worth of their (annual) salary with these measures and we want others who have more to see (this effect)”.
POED are also planning a controversial boycott of commercial goods to spread their message, which Phylactou insisted was aimed to raise awareness rather than hurt retailers.
“We are not trying to go against sellers; we just want to show that there will be a consequence (if teachers’ salaries are cut).”
With the second austerity package looming – which would delay payment of the Cost of Living Allowance (CoLA) over January to July 2012 for teachers and other public sector workers – OELMEK is also threatening industrial action.
Trade union OHO-SEK, representing thousands of semi-governmental organisations’ employees, yesterday officially agreed after much debate to accept the CoLA deferment.
OELMEK head Demetris Taliadoros said on Friday that the next phase of their plan would include: “Strong action in the event that the second package is approved the way it is now.”
If the unions agree to team up, their strike is likely to coincide with the day ministers discuss the second package next week, and comprise of a protest march outside the finance ministry. Phylactou said most of the union’s 5,500 members would take part.
The 2012 budget will be presented to the cabinet next week, but is unlikely to please the teaching unions since it aims to slash the public deficit to two per cent for 2012 and to 0.5 per cent for 2013, and sets spending ceilings for government ministries and departments for the years 2012-2014.
It also provides for a 10 per cent reduction in pay grades for newcomers to the broader public sector, and plans to slash 1,000 positions in the civil service.
