GEW: More than 7000 participants at teachers' demonstration
According to the GEW trade union, more than 7,000 people took part in a demonstration by teachers and university employees in Leipzig. They traveled from Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia to the central protest meeting on Tuesday, according to the GEW. The union had called for a nationwide "Education Strike Day". The aim is to put pressure on collective bargaining in the public sector of the federal states. Further rallies were held in Berlin, Hamburg and Karlsruhe.
"We are living through the biggest education crisis in Germany's history," explained GEW board member Doreen Siebernik. If employers do not wake up now and pay their colleagues in the public sector fairly, the shortage of skilled workers will continue to worsen.
The effects of the teachers' warning strikes varied from school to school. Some had asked parents from the outset to leave their children at home if possible and only offered emergency childcare. At other schools, lessons largely went ahead as planned.
The next round of collective bargaining with the federal states is planned for December 7 in Potsdam. Among other things, the unions are demanding a 10.5 percent pay rise, but at least 500 euros. Nationwide, salary increases are being negotiated for around 2.5 million employees.
Teachers and university employees organized demonstrations across several cities, including Leipzig, Berlin, Hamburg, and Karlsruhe, as part of the GEW's nationwide "Education Strike Day." The aim of these demonstrations was to pressurize the collective bargaining process in the public sector of various federal states. Doreen Siebernik, a GEW board member, highlighted the importance of addressing the current education crisis and fair pay for public sector employees, warning that the shortage of skilled workers would continue without action.
Source: www.dpa.com
