The strike of teachers, which began last Tuesday, is still ongoing, but after the visit of the President of the European Trade Union of Education, Martin Romer, an agreement between SONK and the competent ministries is probable. Romer yesterday repeatedly stressed that a dialogue must be established.
– I fully support the strike of SONK and I came here to see if we can find a room for all concerned parties to sit down at the negotiating table. It is important to maintain social dialogue, and that was the first message I convey to the ministers at meetings – said Romer yesterday.
Representatives of the Ministry of Education also say that they are open for meetings with SONK.
– From August 2014 until mid-January 2015, work groups of MES and SONK conducted weekly meetings on specific topics, and several meetings at the highest level were also held. For some of the topic was achieved a convergence of views and discussions for another part of the topics are still ongoing. At the meeting, Minister Ademi said that the ministry remains open for meetings with SONK in order to achieve a common solution – reads the statement from the Ministry of Education and Science.
They say that the two interlocutors agreed that dialogue between the concerned parties is the best way to overcome the problems.
After the meeting with Martin Romer, SONK submitted another request to the relevant ministries to resume negotiations.
– The Council fully accepted president Romer’s call for immediate continuance of (i.e. starting) negotiations between SONK and competent ministries, as well as his opposition to the attacks on the leadership of SONK – reads the statement of SONK.
Meanwhile, the strike continues in western Macedonia, especially in Albanian classes, while Macedonian are partially involved. In Eastern Macedonia, there was no strike in all 11 municipalities, i.e. only six teachers, representatives of SONK, are on strike. In Bitola, thirty students gathered this morning and went home before the beginning of the testing. Parents signed petitions with a clear message that they don’t want substitute teachers because they don’t want outsiders to teach their children.
The situation in Ohrid and Struga is divided. Ohrid completely ignores the strike, while the number of teachers who joined the strike is increasing in Struga.
MES previously called members of SONK and all other responsible persons in the educational process not to experiment with students, not to abuse them, to stop toying with their fates and carry out their actions on a way which won’t cause repercussions on their education.