Teachers movement wins concessions
LAST YEAR francophone
Belgian teachers overcame their sectoral divisions, state-inspired
"decentralization" and the resistance of the union bureaucracies to launch a powerful movement for better pay and conditions. And their struggle has brought results.
ERIC TOUSSAINT T HE movement to totally paralyze all schools ended on November 29, 1990 after the government made new concessions. The agreement was reached in a climate of intense political interest. The Socialist party had to postpone its congress on the Future of Socialism that was planned for November 24/25. This decision was taken out of the PS' leadership's fear that thousands of teachers — a majority of them PS supporters - would turn up to demonstrate. Furthermore, in order to reassure the teachers, the presidents of the PS and the Christian Socialist Party signed the agreement with the union leaders in front of TV cameras, something quite unprecedented in Belgium.
The latest government proposals had been rejected by a majority of the union members affiliated to the two socialist centrals, the liberal centrals and one of the four Christian centrals. Nonetheless it was these very proposals that formed the basis of the collective agreement signed in mid-December by the Christian and Socialist centrals.
The Socialist leaders have defended this action with the argument that it was necessary to maintain union unity. The militants have replied that the a refusal to
International Viewpoint #198 • January 21, 1991 released, then these rumours were denied by the DPP's office. The intended effect appears to be to make people believe release is inevitable, and create a false sense of security. In this atmosphere they have tried to get the men to ask for parole — since this would mean admitting guilt in the first place, they have refused. To their shame, Irish diplomats have aided these British government efforts. * sign the agreement would not have been an obstacle to rapidly establishing a union front of action for new improvements. They add that, in any case, the concessions made by the government will be implemented since they would be applicable even if signed by only two of the Christian centrals.
Nonetheless, even the militants recognize that a partial victory has been won by the 100,000 teachers that have been taking action over the past six months - and on strike for six weeks. This is the first time for ten years that a teachers' struggle has not ended in failure.
A comparison between what the Education Ministries were proposing in March 1990 and the December agreement shows the results of the struggle.
In March, the 2% increase in salaries to come into effect in November was to be financed by staff reductions in September 1990. In December the 2% was paid and staff levels maintained until September 1992. Furthermore there is to be a salary increase of 3.5% in March 1991 for the most poorly paid. In October 1992, each teacher will get an increase of 4% on their salary of February 1991. Nursery school teachers will get a raise of over 10% at the start of their career and 6% at the end.
Improvements for students
The government has also undertaken to lower the enrollment fees for universities and higher education and increase grants. Finally it has also agreed to improve the security of employment of young teachers at the start of their careers (in Belgium, following government spending cuts which led to the loss of 47,000 teaching jobs in the 1980s, a "young" teacher can be from 25 to 38 years of age!).
It should also be noted that the indexation of wages was re-established in Belgium in 1988. Thus cost of living adjustments should be added to the salary increases mentioned above.
If, despite everything, there is still much dissatisfaction among the teachers, this is because expectations increased as the movement broadened. The demand for an increase of more than 10% won much sympathy. But there is above all a feeling that a substantial improvement in the quality of the job has not been won. It is thus possible that the struggle will begin again in the coming months, despite the attitude of the union leaderships.