With a challenging tone, the directors of the union group of teachers of Río Negrothe Union of Education Workers (Unter), defended the sudden measure of force that paralyzed the activity of public schools of the province, despite the fact that the joint negotiations had not yet concluded. The provincial government reacted and targeted the organization for the decision that, they claim, was taken unexpectedly.
“It is insufficient, we are going on strike,” the teachers announced. After the measure, Unter was the target of criticism from different sectors, not only for its harshness, but also for its sudden application.
The governor of Río Negro, Alberto Weretilneck, assured that the claim “It is inexplicable and ununderstandable” and anticipated that the measure of force affected the negotiations.
A recent report from the Confederation of Education Workers of the Argentine Republic (CTERA) revealed that Río Negro is the Argentine province with the highest teacher salaries in the country. As revealed, a teacher who is just starting out receives a net salary of $620,000. The survey by the Marina Vilte Institute made a comparison of the salaries received in the sector in Argentina.
The fact, ignored by the union leadership, was mentioned by the provincial president. “The teachers of our Province have the best salaries in the country. When one compares the 24 jurisdictions, Río Negro has the highest salary, which is why this measure is incomprehensible. From December 10 until now, the provincial government has taken steps to support the recovery of teacher salaries,” said the president.
He also said that “when the national government removed the FONID, many provinces eliminated it, Río Negro left that 10 percent in the teachers’ salaries as a way to accompany and not take away that Teacher Incentive Fund that the province lost. removed by Nation.”
The forceful measure emptied the classrooms of state educational establishments and deprived more than 170,000 children of attending school cafeterias.
The immediacy of the proposal also generated million-dollar losses in food that was destined for those spaces. “It’s an unjustified claim,” Weretilneck said.
“A day of teacher strike is a day in which 170 thousand students do not have breakfast/snack and 33 thousand children do not have lunch. It is an insult to the families who need help from the school cafeteria and a setback in the students’ learning process,” published the head of the Rio Negro executive.
He regretted the decision, which he described as “selfish, unjustified and where the only ones harmed end up being our children.”
Teachers rejected a 133 percent increase between February and July. The surprising determination of UNTER was also questioned by the Parents Self-convoked by Public Education, who mentioned the “opportunism” of the union group in decreeing the measure of force “without warning 24 hours in advance, on the eve of a long weekend and in the prelude to a week with several holidays.”
The group criticized the teachers “for harming the students with these forceful measures. We do not understand how they can reject such a significant increase and continue to affect our children’s education. We demand that the well-being and education of students be prioritized!”
They also said that “with the government’s latest proposal, an initial teacher without seniority will have a salary of $793,000, representing a cumulative increase so far this year of 132.79%, far exceeding the inflation accumulated during the year.”
Despite the criticism, the union leadership threatened a new strike for next Wednesday.
