Twenty people from teachers’ unions (CGT Educ Action, Sud Éducation, SNES-FSU, UNSA-Éducation, SGEN-CFDT), agents of school life and specialized territorial agents of nursery schools (Atsem) met in general assembly this Thursday, January 13, at the village hall of Marmignolles, in Désertines (Allier).
Claims that go beyond the health protocol
On this day of strike, they of course mentioned the health protocol and its many changes since the beginning of the year. They mentioned the significant lack of replacements to compensate for the absence of teachers affected by covid-19. The discussions were however very quickly extended to working conditions in schools, colleges and high schools in recent years.
“In the Allier, we are around 65, 70% strikers. More broadly, we have not seen such a mobilization since the strike of December 5, 2019 on pensions. This shows that in National Education, people have the ability to mobilize. We are as much on a strike of demand as a strike of fed up. As for the public hospital, the health crisis reveals all the shortcomings. »
Erwan Charny (representing Sud Education)
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More affected children and disorganized schools
For teachers, the Omicron variant and its high contagiousness undermine the system by affecting more children. They criticize the Ministry of National Education for being of no help, even for complicating their task.
“It has accelerated since the beginning of December. Before, we only had a few cases, which gave us time to react. Currently in my school, there are twenty children affected by covid and the protocol adds to the problem. He abuses children and their families. We do what we can, but we are no longer doing our job. Jean-Michel Blanquer has something to do with it. We are at three protocols since January 3. He makes us look like puppets, because we don’t have more information than the families and it’s the same for our superiors. »
Jean-Luc Serange (representing SGEN-CFDT)
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A definite impact on children
Teachers and Atsem are all the more worried because for them the health crisis is not without consequences for children. “There are not enough school psychologists. There are kindergarten students who have spent half of their school life under covid, or even all of their school life for some ”, protests a teacher from the Domérat schools, who is not unionized.
“Children have never told us ‘I love you’ so much as they do now. Like what, it is said that they adapt to everything, this is not true. I agree that there will be a need for more psychologists in the future”, worries an Atsem from Commentry before mentioning days in the drafts to respect the health protocol.
“The kids and ourselves are frozen. We feed them in incredible conditions. I’m on strike, but I’m even angrier, angry as ever. »
An Atsem from Commentry (Questions about miracles)
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A situation that has been deteriorating in education for a long time
CGT activist, Elena Blond (first from right) believes that the deterioration of working conditions is old. (Photo Florian Salesse)
The unions confirm that the health crisis and the complicated implementation of the various protocols highlight an already extremely tense situation regardless of the level of the establishments.
“For the second degree, the health crisis must not hide the suffering at work which has undermined the teams for 3 years following the reform of the baccalaureate. Everything accumulates. We are particularly worn out by all the measures that have taken place over the past 5 years”
Florine Lazaro (SNES-FSU representative)
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Elena Blond, CGT Éduc-Action representative, believes that the deterioration of working conditions is even older and dates back to the mandate of Nicolas Sarkozy (2007-2012). Faced with the lack of replacement means, freezing of the index point, resignations and work stoppages that accumulate.
A hundred teaching staff on strike, place de la Poste in Vichy (Allier), this Thursday, January 13
Continue the mobilization to improve working conditions
For the unions, the Ministry of National Education must give the means to the establishments, put trained people on the ground, raise salaries and improve working conditions.
Before going for some to the demonstration in front of the Academic Inspectorate of Allier in Yzeure, this Thursday afternoon, the trade unionists expressed their wish to continue the fight. Another strike is scheduled for Thursday, January 27 alongside public and private employees for an increase in wages and pensions, but also on working conditions. An action for school life agents must also take place on Thursday, January 20.
Florence Farina
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