The president of the Colombian Federation of Educators said he will meet with the country’s head of state in order to avoid a national teachers’ strike scheduled to begin on May 14, national media reported.
The president of the Colombian Federation of Educators (Fecode), Luís Gruvert, said he hopes to reach an agreement with President Juan Manuel Santos and the ministers of Education, Labor, Treasury, and Health on issues of wages, health care, and competency evaluation, reported Caracol Radio on Tuesday.
The National Board of Fecode released a statement on Monday declaring that it had unanimously agreed to declare a national strike beginning Wednesday May 14.
The statement added that the strike is “In response to the delays that the national government is giving the negotiating process since April 22.”
A May 12 Fecode newsletter also stated that “We were forced to take this measure due the intransigence of the [President] Santos administration, who is failing to to give answers or meet the demands and expectations of the teachers’ union.”
According to Guvertm “We made the decision to go ahead with this national strike, but without closing the door to dialogue and cooperation with the government,” Caracol Radio reported.
Failure to reach an agreement on Tuesday at the meeting in the presidential headquarters will result in a strike by 334,000 teachers, leaving 8,700,000 children across the without classes.
Sources
- FECODE DECRETÓ HORA CERO DEL PARO NACIONAL DEL MAGISTERIO (Press Release)
- APROBADO PARO NACIONAL DEL MAGISTERIO (FECODE newsletter)
- Gobierno buscará con Fecode acuerdo para evitar paro de maestros (Caracol Radio)