School staff in Portugal protest for better pay and conditions

Thousands of teachers and non-teaching staff demonstrate in Lisbon today in a demonstration organized by the Union of All Education Professionals (STOP) to demand better working conditions and pay, and against minimum services in schools.

This is the third march promoted by STOP since December, which has demanded measures such as a €120 pay rise for all education professionals, including teachers and non-teaching staff.

This Saturday’s march responds to the decision of the Arbitral Tribunal of Portugal, which decreed minimum services for schools on Friday following the unpredictability of the strikes decreed by STOP.

The minimum services concern teachers, non-teaching staff and senior technicians, aimed at guaranteeing support for certain groups of students.

The protests and strikes were organized in response to the Ministry of Education’s proposal for a new teacher recruitment and placement model.

STOP said 20,000 protesters took part in its first march in December and 100,000 took part in a second march on January 14.

In addition to Saturday’s protest, a follow-up protest is scheduled for February 11.