Government asks university professors for a 20-day truce.
The strike has already reached 55 federal educational institutions across the country; the president of the National Association of Higher Education Teachers (Andes), Marina Barbosa, described the alternative suggested by the government as "shameless".
Agency Brazil The federal government has requested a 20-day "truce" from federal teachers who have been on strike since May 17th to continue negotiations. According to the Secretary of Labor Relations of the Ministry of Planning, Sérgio Mendonça, at the end of this period, the government commits to resolving the agreement on the restructuring of the career path, the teachers' main demand.
"We want to resume the conversation, proposing that the entities call a truce in the strike. We ask for a 20-day period to close the semester calmly, and we offer our commitment to reaching an agreement on the career issue," he said at the opening of the meeting.
The strike has already reached 55 federal educational institutions across the country. Also seeking career restructuring, employees linked to the National Union of Federal Employees of Basic, Professional and Technological Education (Sinasefe) announced a general strike starting tomorrow (13), including teachers and technicians. The strike is expected to affect 40 employees.
Mendonça also said that this is a "unique opportunity" to advance the agreement for career advancement for teachers, which has been under discussion since 2010. "These are 20 days to resolve a long-standing conversation. We will assess what can be achieved," he assured.
The proposal discouraged the teachers' representatives. The president of the National Association of Higher Education Teachers (Andes), Marina Barbosa, described the alternative given by the government as "shameless." "He [the Secretary of Labor Relations] had the audacity to say that we could then have the chance to finish the semester."
For her, there is no reason to believe in the government's willingness to negotiate. "He [Sérgio Mendonça] can't say it's an illegitimate or premature strike. We had already given a truce because we've been giving the government a truce since August 2010. Why should we now believe that, by suspending the movement, we'll get a presentable proposal?", she asked.
Teachers are demanding a restructuring of teaching careers and protesting against the lack of infrastructure in institutions. According to Marina, the group is demanding that the federal government "assume its responsibility in education."
"We are living through a tragic situation. In our last conversation [May 15], the government presented the same proposals presented in December 2010. This demonstrates a lack of negotiation. We expect a concrete proposal," he said. A new meeting was scheduled for next Tuesday (19).