The government announced on Thursday that secondary education schools will be opening on Monday and not Friday, as was the schedule.
The postponement had been requested by parents’ associations amid an ongoing dispute between the government and educators over their terms of employment.
Teachers unions were meant to hold a meeting at lunchtime Thursday to discuss how to proceed but it was delayed, as the two sides engaged in consultations to resolve the matter.
Unions Oelmek, Oltek, and Poed were meant to meet at lunchtime Thursday in the wake of their members granting them authorization to take any measures they saw fit, including staging a strike.
On Wednesday, the overwhelming majority of teachers – over 94 per cent — voted to grant their unions the authority to step up their reaction to government decisions they disapproved.
However, daily Politis reported on Thursday that a secret meeting was held on neutral ground – the foreign ministry – between the heads of the unions and a ministerial committee made up by the ministers of education, labour, and agriculture, to discuss the latest compromise proposal submitted by the government.
Politis, quoting an unnamed government source, reported that the meeting was good and hopes to overcome the deadlock were revived.
The ministers asked the unions to give their view on the proposal and apparently there is common ground in several points.
During the meeting, the two sides also discussed an early retirement plan for teachers with the government pledging to fill the vacancies with new hires,
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