Coaching Reform, FLC CGIL: serious and inaccurate information from Mim

“It is striking and worrying that a Ministry of the Republic should use an official statement not to inform, but to attack a trade union organisation, dividing workers into ‘constructive’ and ‘non-constructive’ categories. A Ministry should be the home of the entire education sector, not a referee handing out reliability ratings to trade unions.” This is stated in a press release from the CGIL Federation of Knowledge Workers.

“On this point, the figures released regarding the strike on 7 May are presented in a misleading manner. The participation rate of 1.78 per cent is calculated on the basis of the entire teaching staff across all levels of education, whereas the strike we called concerned only technical colleges: a ploy that deliberately dilutes the figure to downplay its significance. Furthermore, the Ministry fails to take into account the packed meetings, the sit-ins and the statements of position issued by teaching staff councils that have taken place across the country for weeks,” the statement continues, adding that “there is also one fact that the Ministry cannot dismiss with a press release: if the reform did not affect anything, why amend it? If the concerns about educational continuity, staffing levels and the stability of teaching posts were unfounded, why is the Ministry now claiming that its measures are ‘aimed at preserving educational continuity, staffing levels and the stability of teaching posts’? It’s one or the other,’ the union’s statement continues, ‘either those critical issues did exist – and were precisely those highlighted by the protests – or the updates presented yesterday are pointless. The Ministry cannot simultaneously deny the problem and boast of having solved it’.

“As for the claim that all this is the result of the 9 April agreement: if that were the case, the ‘updates’ would have been presented in April, not in July, following weeks of meetings, strikes and public pressure. The timeline speaks for itself,” insists the Flc Cgil, concluding that “calling for the withdrawal of a flawed reform and ensuring it is amended is not a failing: it is what trade unions are for. We will continue to do so, without asking for permission, in the interests of staff and students in technical and vocational education.”