Unprecedented Teacher Movement Takes Over Saxony on Tuesday: Emergency Education Services
Prepare for some unexpected absences in Saxony schools on Tuesday, as educators across the region plan to stage a warning strike. The German Educators' Union (GEW) is spearheading this initiative, aiming to intensify collective bargaining efforts in the public education sectors of various federal states. With numerous schools encouraging parental backup, emergency childcare services will be at the ready. The situation isn't confined to schools, as the academic community is also urged to join in.
Joining the fray, Leipzig will host one of four nationwide central strike rallies, alongside Berlin, Hamburg, and Karlsruhe. According to GEW spokesperson, Matthes Blank, around 2000 teachers from Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt, and Thuringia will converge on Leipzig in 40 buses. The concrete repercussions of this warning strike are hard to pinpoint, Blank mentioned, though schools may offer emergency care, and individual lessons might be sidelined.
Saxony's educator pool boasts around 33,000 state school teachers. Around two-thirds of these are salaried, with civil servant teachers making up the remaining third. Civil servant teachers are legally prohibited from participating in strikes.
The upcoming collective bargaining rounds with the federal states are scheduled for December 7 in Potsdam. Unions are pressing for a 10.5% pay rise, minimum of €500, and €200 monthly salary increase for trainees. Discussions on wage hikes for approximately 2.5 million nationwide employees are ongoing.
Amidst the planned emergency childcare, Saxon schools may need to cancel lessons due to the teacher strike. Universities nationwide are also rallying behind the education sector's demands for improved wages and working conditions.
Enrichment Insights:
The GEW union often advocates on behalf of teachers in Germany, focusing on salary enhancements, better working conditions, and increased educational funding. The potential strike in Saxony aligns with these long-standing objectives of the union.
