A 48-hours strike by the national teachers’ union CTERA kept over 5.5 million public and private school students at home on Monday.
Teachers will today march on Congress to demand the government reinstate the “national collective wage bargaining” process, which was eliminated by decree in January.
They also oppose the 15-percent wage increase offered to them by provincial governments, citing private annual inflation estimates of 20 percent.
Only seven provinces have sealed wage deals with their local teachers unions: San Luis (21 percent), Santiago del Estero (20 percent), San Juan (17 percent), Tucumán (17.5 percent), Corrientes (17 percent), Misiones (15.5 percent) and Salta (15 percent).
National Cabinet Chief Marcos Peña said this weekend that the strike was “politically motivated”, while Education Minister Alejandro Finocchiaro described CTERA as “a support group for the Moyano concert”, referring to union kingpin Hugo Moyano who recently led a massive street protest against the national government.
The strike includes the powerful SUTEBA and UTE unions but also private teachers union SADP.
-TIMES
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