Greek teachers demonstrate against forced military mobilisation

This video from Greece says about itself:

Greek Secondary Education Teachers’ union OLME demonstration

May 15, 2013

OLME (Greek Secondary Education Teachers) protest against their forced mobilisation by the government in order not to be able to strike against the new anti-labour law for secondary education teachers.

The Greek government mobilises the teachers under the threat of arresting and firing them before the unions are even able to vote for or against a strike. It defends its decision calling upon public interest, that is, the unobstructed carrying out of the national exams for university entry.

However, it is the same government that brought the new law into parliament just before the national exams in order to prevent teachers from striking against this law.

ON Monday (13-5-2013) OLME organised a massive demonstration and protest in Syntagma Square against the teachers’ mobilisation and today the local teachers’ unions vote on OLME’s proposal for a strike starting from Friday, the day the national exams start. So far most of the local unions have voted for the strike with an overwhelming majority.

This could be a major crisis for the Greek government since it risks a tough clash in case the teachers choose to massively challenge their mobilisation. In such a case the government will find itself in a position where it will be obliged to arrest and fire tens of thousands of teachers in the middle of the national exams. This will of course wreck the exams that the government claims to be protecting and it will paralyse the education system.

There is also a statement from Themis Kotsifakis OLME’s General Secretary.

The confrontation between the Greek government and teachers has intensified. On Monday, thousands demonstrated against the government’s invocation of a mobilization order against teachers—who are thereby placed under military discipline, required to work, and legally banned from striking: here.

Greek teachers have voted to oppose the mobilisation order of the government and begin strike action on Friday: here.

Human rights report slams Greece over extreme-right violence and press freedom: here.

Related articles

• Greek ministers ban teachers’ strike with ‘extreme’ junta law (morningstaronline.co.uk)
• Greece: government orders civil mobilization against striking teachers (anhsyxia.wordpress.com)
• Greek government outlaws teachers strike (rinf.com)
• Greek workers protest ban on teachers’ strike (worldbulletin.net)
• Greeks walk out over use of junta-era strike-breaking law (morningstaronline.co.uk)
• Greek govt threatens to arrest teachers over strike (rinf.com)