Health protocol almost impossible to respect, deteriorated working conditions and fear of going to work: anger is mounting in the National Education, some of whose members will go on strike on November 10, 2020.
From primary to high school, the school climate has been tense since the return from the All Saints holidays. Between a coronavirus epidemic which continues to soar and a climate marked by the assassination of Professor Samuel Paty, teachers and national education staff are demanding one simple thing from the government: real consideration.
At the start of the school year, after two weeks of vacation, primary and secondary teachers had to apply new directives "who were not ", according to the co-secretary of SUD education for the first degree (primary). The only change is in elementary school, where students must wear a mask from age 6. On this point alone, the members of SUD denounce a form of inconsistency: "We are told that children are not contagious, and then we force them to put on a mask?", they are surprised. Primary school teachers also criticize the difficulties this rule causes for students learning to read.
Beyond these important points, it is the question of the general organization as well as the means which animate the teachers. "We are asking for real emergency measures for education, means to reduce the number of students per class by dividing the groups in the half class" They claim in the first place the elected SUD. How? 'Or' What ? By increasing the number of teachers. The strongest fear being that of having to close the establishments because of massive contamination and therefore of breaking the educational continuity. "We are asking for means and material!", they hammer.
The question of the tribute to their colleague Samuel Paty also counted in this anger: the SUD union denounces vague directives, a lack of meaning for the students with a letter which was not addressed not to them, but to the teacher. trice.s. In addition, the teachers were deprived of a specific time to meet with them and share about this terrible assassination. Another union, the SNES FSU, denounces the same causes of the discontent: no real health rules, lack of means for years, which is being felt so glaringly with the pandemic, and confiscation of the necessary time for meditation. "There are establishments which, general assemblies after general assemblies, obtain real improvements in protocols. The establishment of half-groups, for example", underlines the union, to show that concrete solutions can be decided. However, they are negotiated in small steps with the heads of establishments, and not at the national level.
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Boiling in the classroom
For their part, high school students began strikes and blockades to protest against the lack of real health measures. "It seems to me that there is a boil going on, something is going on", believes the co-secretary of SUD.
As for the maintenance staff of local authorities working in the establishments, the same feeling as to the health protocol. "White-collar workers are telecommuting and blue-collar workers go to work. But we don't want to die!", deplores their representative to aufeminin, who describes a deleterious situation. "The agents have degraded working conditions, but that dates back to before the Covid. We are an aging population, prone to occupational diseases, but not only. We also have a lot of colleagues with diabetes or overweight, or important factors of co-morbidity. Finally, there are many stoppages, but few replacements. Add to that more work with the disinfection process … " The rules in this context become inapplicable, he explains: "In fact, we sometimes do not have time to clean up, between small teams, the cumbersome protocol and complicated replacements." As a reminder, the hygiene protocols are strict and therefore deserve demanding training.
The SNES-FSU therefore calls for a strike on Tuesday, November 10, despite the establishment of half-groups in high schools by Jean-Michel Blanquer who has seen the anger rise. A day to denounce a pressure that has become untenable for those who accompany the children every day of the week.