After several evictions and the firm decision of the government to request it every time there is an occupation, the Trade Union of Education Training Teachers (Sidfe) announced new measures. Among them, a 24-hour strike for Wednesday and three more occupations over week.
In addition, since Monday, all members are required to use a tag that says “teachers in conflict.” In addition to distributing flyers at the exit and entrance of shifts to promote information among unaffiliated teachers and students, says the released statement.
The intention is “to broaden and deepen the conflict, it implies measuring and joining forces, diversifying the measures of struggle.” On Tuesday there will be a mobilization in the north of the country —whose area is yet to be confirmed— and in the south they will hold a partial strike, and then concentrate at 5:30 p.m.
On Wednesday the 24-hour strike will take place and a center will be occupied. On Thursday and Friday there will be propaganda activities, workshops with politicians, talks and meetings with mayors and local boards.
Finally, from the union they reported that all the parties with parliamentary representation were asked to hold a meeting to inform them about their claims. The occupations began two weeks ago demanding a larger budget and better building conditions.
In less than 14 days, the four training centers in Montevideo (IINN, IPA, IFES, INET) were occupied; all the Regional Centers for Teachers (CERP): Atlántida, Colonia, Maldonado, Rivera, Salto and Florida; and the Teacher Training Institutes (IFD) of the Coast, Canelones, Pando, San Ramón, Florida, Maldonado, Rosario, Treinta y Tres, Rocha, Tacuarembó, Paysandú, Melo, Minas, San José, Durazno, Mercedes and Trinidad.
The government response
President Luis Lacalle Pou said that the unions have their “legitimate right” to oppose the government’s education policies, although he admitted that he did not know the reasons behind the occupations.
Of course: the president made it clear that his administration “it will vacate all the educational premises that are occupied”because this measure of struggle affects the “most unprotected”.
Lacalle Pou understands that the educational transformation “It is a good deed that the government does”and cited as an example the change in plans and programs given that “there is a curriculum that was from his high school days.”
The president of Codicen, Robert Silva, claimed days ago that “the occupation It is not a legitimate mechanism” or one that helps “bring positions closer”after the measure adopted by organized students and teachersin various centers of the country. After that, they vandalized the front of his house with graffiti that said “Education belongs to the people” Y “Robo Silva Cntrl +C Cntrl+V” (for the computer commands to copy and paste, referring to a complaint of plagiarism in a document of the educational reform).
At that time, Sidfe expressed his solidarity with the hierarch. “We repudiate the anonymous attack that Codicen president Robert Silva received at his home, as well as the attempts to attribute this action to the popular movement”indicates a statement released by the union.
