In Hungary, hundreds of college and high school teachers are again on strike this Friday, December 1, despite the risk of being dismissed by the government.
With our correspondent in Budapest, Florence La Bruyere
No class this Friday for hundreds of college and high school teachers who are on strike. They are protesting against the dismissal of eight teachers sacked this week simply for going on strike. At the end of September, five others had already been dismissed for the same reason. Viktor Orban’s government is therefore adding fuel to the fire.
The right to strike does exist on paper, but it has been de facto suppressed by the government. A teacher who disengages is therefore breaking the law. ” Hungary is a Kafkaesque country, notes a teacher. We have no other way than to strike to demand the restoration of the right to strike! »
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High school students massively support their teachers. Some students came to school with black tape on their mouths, to show that freedom is gagged by power. Sitting on the stairs of high schools, they went on strike in their own way. In the afternoon, some marched in the streets spontaneously, singing “Without teachers, we have no future”.
The government of Viktor Orban chooses the strong way, in defiance of European values such as the right to strike. Apparently, he does not fear reprisals from Brussels, as he tries to escape, not without difficulty, to the freezing of European funds. Be that as it may, these new dismissals are galvanizing teachers and students. A national strike day is scheduled for next week.