OLME Teachers’ Union joins October 1st General Strike – Secondary School schedules to be disrupted

The Greek Secondary Education Teachers’ Federation (OLME) has announced its participation in the general strike called by ADEDY, the Civil Servants’ Confederation, scheduled for Wednesday, October 1. The strike is expected to cause disruptions to middle and high school schedules across the country.

Teachers will take to the streets to protest the government’s new labor bill, which introduces a 13-hour workday. Educators also denounce the long-standing budget cuts in public education, which they say have created an unprecedented shortage of teachers in schools.

OLME outlined its demands as follows:

• Decent wages,
• The reinstatement of the 13th and 14th monthly salaries,
• Permanent appointments to cover staff shortages,
• A 35-hour, five-day work week for all employees.

In its statement, OLME stressed: “We will participate massively in the major public sector strike on October 1.”

Meanwhile, sources from the Ministry of Education clarified that the prospect of “completely closed schools” is not on the table. Students are expected to attend school as usual. However, classes will be canceled during the hours when teachers join the strike. If consecutive class periods are left without instruction, school administrations may decide to dismiss students early.