Teachers working in the Ministry of Education’s support programs protested outside the Presidential Palace with signs and banners. Their two main demands concern the provision of unemployment benefits to permanent teachers, as well as job security for those who have not completed 30 months of service in the same program.
According to the station’s correspondent, Rafaella Stavrinou, the workers gathered at PASYDY at 9:30 a.m. on Thursday and marched from there to the Presidential Palace, where they submitted a petition to the President of the Republic.
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Police measures for today’s teachers’ protest
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The protesters claim that the government has left them without an income.
“We have demanded payment of unemployment benefits for the period during which permanent employees in the Ministry of Education’s support programs are out of work.”
“We have submitted a memorandum to the President of the Republic outlining two key issues for workers in the support programs. They have gone three months without pay.”
Viktoras Papadopoulos received the memorandum and assured the protesters that the government accepts their demands. At the same time, assurances were given that all necessary steps would be taken to announce the specific job openings. Regarding the unemployment benefit, a two-week extension was requested to address this specific issue.
It should be noted that the protesters welcomed the government’s stance and stated that they are willing to give it the time needed. However, they stated that if the government’s actions do not meet their demands, they will respond more forcefully.
According to a statement by the PASEY-PEO and OEKDY-SEK unions, workers are demanding a review of unemployment benefit payments, as they have been without income for three months, as well as the implementation of legislation regulating their employment in the Ministry of Labor’s support programs.
At the same time, they are calling for job openings to be announced for workers who have not completed 30 months of service in the same program, but who have many years of service in YPAN programs that have since ended, and they are requesting that this prior service be recognized.
In a joint statement, the unions PASEU–PEO and OEKDY–SEK state that despite the Minister’s commitment to send a new directive to the Legal Service to reconsider eligibility for and payment of unemployment benefits, the workers have decided to hold the protest because they have been without income for three months now.
Consequently, the unions are calling on all employees in the Ministry of Education’s support programs to participate en masse in the rally at the PASYDY headquarters and in the march that will follow to the Presidential Palace.
They also call on the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, to intervene immediately and decisively to find solutions to the workers’ problems.
As the two unions report, permanent employees who have completed 30 months of service have been without any income from June until today, while fewer than 100 employees, who have not yet completed 30 months of service in the same program, are now out of work due to a political decision.
