Federation of Free Trade Unions in Education (FSLI) and Federation of Education Trade Unions “Spiru Haret” announced on Tuesday the results of the referendum organized among teachers regarding the participation in the national exam simulations, scheduled to start next week.
According to the unions, more than 73,000 education employees, representing more than 50% of unionized teachers, have signed up not to participate in these simulations. Of these, approximately 28%, i.e. around 40,000 people, opted directly for starting a strike.
“The results show a huge level of dissatisfaction among education employees,” the two federations said.
Trade unionists claim that school inspectorates and directors of some educational units would resort to “abusive practices” to force simulations to run. Among the accusations made are the unjustified increase in the number of students in the examination halls and the reduction in the number of members in the supervision committees.
According to union representatives, these measures would violate procedures and turn the simulations into a process “purely formal and irrelevant”especially in the conditions in which, they say, the students’ interest in these tests is “extremely low”.
On Monday, the two union federations denounced “unprecedented pressures and intimidation” from the management of some educational units.
“Boycotting these simulations is a minimal act of dignity, a form of protest that does not affect us financially, but sends a strong signal”the trade unionists said.
The representatives of the Federation of Free Trade Unions in Education and the Federation of Trade Unions in Education “Spiru Haret” warn that not participating in the simulations could only be the first step before a large-scale protest scheduled at the end of the school year, during the period when the actual national exams will take place.
The situation remains uncertain in educational establishments where not all employees are union members. Until this moment, the Ministry of Education has not announced concrete measures in relation to this situation.
