Greece: OLME and DOE Congresses
Published:
ETUCE member organisations in Greece, OLME and DOE held their Congresses on 23 - 25 and 28 - 30 June in Athens. Both organisations gave the opportunity to a representative from the ETUCE Bureau to reaffirm the solidarity from ETUCE and its member organisations as well as to show that their ongoing fight to obtain the recruitment of teachers on permanent employment contracts is not an isolated case in Europe.
Putting pressure on the Greek government, especially after the Parliamentary elections in July remains decisive in the coming months. There have been no permanent teacher appointments since 2010. All the vacant positions have been filled with teachers on precarious employment contracts. As a result, the percentage of contract teachers has doubled from 7 % to 14 % both at primary and secondary levels over the last decade. Moreover, the demand to increase salaries remains high on the agenda of both organisations as Greek teachers have suffered a 30 % cut in salaries on average in the years of austerity imposed upon the Greek population while the salaries in the broader public sector decreased by 18 %.
Odile Cordelier, ETUCE-Vice-President, reminded DOE delegates that in February 2019, ETUCE supported DOE’s petition to achieve the recruitment of thousands of permanent teachers to meet the demands of public education in Greece. At OLME Congress, she emphasised the fact that joining forces at national and European level is absolutely decisive in such a period. ETUCE confirms its continued support for the teachers in Greece.