The Syndicat national unitaire des instituteurs professeurs des écoles et PEGC - a national school teachers’ trade union (SNUipp-FSU), one of EI's national affiliates, announced that almost six teachers in 10 (58 per cent) went on strike on 12 February to demand a successful reform of school timetables for all students across the territory and which takes into account the opinions of both teachers and parents.
According to SNUipp-FSU Paris Departmental Secretary Jérôme Lambert, “almost 80 per cent” of teachers were expected to go on strike in Paris, where teachers are particularly dissatisfied with the policies of Mayor Bertrand Delanoë, from the Socialist Party.
Call to postpone the reform of school timetables
This is the fifth time in three weeks that teachers have taken concerted action of various orders of magnitude and for various reasons, chief of which is the postponement of the school timetable reform.
The decree issued at the end of January heralds the return to four-and-a-half days of classes per week in 2013, with classes on Wednesday morning. The municipalities, which had until 31 March to decide, have been allowed to wait until 2014and opt for Saturday morning classes.
The SNUipp-FSU, the main trade union in primary education, is asking for the deferral until 2014 of a reform that it believes to be hastily put together. It believes that the transition to four-and-a-half days under this incomplete reform would not benefit students and would only worsen working conditions forteachers who would be forced to work an extra half day- on Wednesday morning - without compensation. The trade union stated that it was, nevertheless, in favour of a "satisfactory reform of school timetables".
SNUipp-FSU: Consult with the teachers for student success
"Despite the efforts made by the municipalities, the reform's implementation is on shaky ground because of a lack of time, funding and often of local consultation," said SNUipp FSU Secretary General Sébastien Sihr.
"We find that, despite ministerial commitments, which were much vaunted at the start of the consultation, there are no guarantees ofimproving the wellbeing of students and their learning conditions, nor are there any of improving quality of life and working conditions for teachers. The general feeling is one of great disappointment and real frustration.”
Sihr added that a failure to reform school timetables would weaken the focus on primary education welcomed by the SNUipp-FSU and currently expected in schools. The union asked the Minister to clarify his plans concerning primary education. It believes that this insufficiently prepared reform of school timetables overshadows key issues for better student achievement: revision of the curricula, schooling for the under-threes, revitalisation of nursery schools, the future of the RASED networks (networks of specialised help for children in difficulty), priority education, and school administration.
"The SNUipp-FSU believes that the reform needs more time to succeed, which is why we recommend it be delayed to 2014 and that the decree be rewritten," saidSihr. "Any change in 2013 can only take place with the agreement of all stakeholders (teachers, parents and elected officials). It is a condition for the success of this reform.”
Five other teacher federations - CGT, FO, SUD, CNT and FAEN, who are in the minority - were also involved in the rally on Tuesday, but with broader demands: a repeal of the decree on school timetables, abandoning the draft Schools Act, and an improvement of working conditions and pay.
Qualified support
Two other teachers' organisations, also affiliated to EI, the Union des syndicats autonomes– Education (UNSA - Education - Union of Autonomous Trade Unions - Education) and the Fédération des syndicats généraux de l’Education nationale et de la recherche(SGEN-CFDT - the Federation of General National Education and Research Trade Unions), distanced themselves from the protest. Nevertheless, they have also criticised the decree's imperfections and the Minister's actions, and feel that the four-day week should be abandoned soon, for the benefit of students but also of teachers who are under great pressure of work.
UNSA Education: Be more demanding!
Laurent Escure, Secretary General of UNSA Education, explained that "UNSA Education does not support the national strike … on 12 February organised jointly or separately by federations and unions of the National Education Ministry. Their platform is characterised by demands which are difficult to follow There are those who reject all or part of the reform act, butnot the creation of 60,000 new teaching positions, those who wish for the status quo to be maintained and those who think that our system must evolve, but at a later time, if possible."
Fundamentally, he noted, UNSA Education considers that it is imperative that the reform be given every chance to effect an overhaul of the school system which needs to dig itself out of a systemic crisis. This 15-year crisis has been exacerbated by massive job losses and the ideological attacks which it has suffered over the last five years. This is whythe union supported the Framework Law on Schools and the budgetary priority enjoyed by the National Education Ministry. The union believes that this Schools’ Act could be a good base on which to build, should it be supported by an educational focus on giving non-formal education and its staff the importance it deserves.
"UNSA Education and its activists will continue to demand change, without indulgence or excess," said Escure. "Our federation supports its unions, which carry with them the expectations, concerns and demands of the colleagues that we represent. We remain true to our principles and emphasise efficiency.”
Click here to learn more about the UNSA Education's position about the national school reform.