A mass strike has paralyzed this Thursday the education sector in France. The classrooms were deserted due to a mobilization against the management of covid-19 in this sector. The “riot & rdquor; what has been with the sanitary protocols it has despaired teachers, but also inspectors, principals and students. To the point that all the educational unions agreed to promote this work stoppage. And the great follow-up of the strike corresponds to the forecasts of a day described by the French press of “Black Thursday & rdquor; for the Government of Emmanuel Macron.
The 62% of workers of the institutes did not go to work, according to the Snes-FSU, the majority union organization in secondary school. In elementary school, until 75% of teachers classrooms were emptied, according to Snuipp-FSU. As is customary, the Ministry of Education lowered these figures to a third of the striking staff.
In any case, it is one of the most impressive mobilizations in the sector since 2003, with the protests then against the pension reform of the conservative Franços Fillon. It not only puts the Minister of Education, Jean-Michel Blanquer– Much criticized for his management – but also represents a stone in the shoe for Macron when there are less than 100 days until the presidential elections in April.
A modified protocol
What is the epicenter of this massive strike? The sanitary protocols that are applied in schools from January 3, after the Christmas holidays. To face the omicron wave —The daily cases exceed 300,000 in France— and keep educational centers open Without turning into uncontrolled agglomerations, the centrist Executive prepared new regulations.
Minister Blanqueur already outraged the teachers by announcing them, first, in the press on Sunday, January 2, a few hours before the rentrée. Since then, all children with COVID-19 had to isolate themselves for a week. In the case where there would be a positive case in their class, they could go to school on the condition of take three tests (or self-test) and give negative in all of them within five days.
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This new regulation generated discomfort and was difficult to comply with. The educational authorities modified up to three times in the last week. Which led to an “indescribable riot”, according to the educational unions. And in return these organizations, like the moderate CFDT, demand “a viable protocol based on a positive or absent ratio without this leading to (classrooms) closures or exhausting staff and parents & rdquor ;.
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