The teachers’ 24-hour strike planned for Wednesday, October 23, 2024, has been ruled illegal by the Athens Single-Member Court of First Instance. Despite this, the strike is still expected to proceed, as ADEDY (the Confederation of Public Servants) has called for a new strike in support of educators.

According to reports, the court sided with the Ministry of Education, which had filed a lawsuit to stop the strike. The court prohibited the strike organized by the Greek Primary Teachers’ Federation (DOE) and imposed a fine of €3,000 for any violation of its ruling.

The strike, initially planned by DOE, was set to include primary school teachers and kindergarten teachers. DOE’s demands include salary increases, the abolition of teacher evaluations, a reduction in class sizes to 15 students for kindergartens and grades 1-2, and 20 students for higher grades, as well as improvements in school building infrastructure.

ADEDY Declares New Strike and Condemns Minister’s Actions

ADEDY reacted strongly to the court ruling, accusing the Minister of Education, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, of an unprecedented move in labor and educational history. In response, ADEDY has called for a new strike, involving teachers at all educational levels.

ADEDY’s Official Statement:

“The Executive Committee of ADEDY condemns the unprecedented action of the Minister of Education in turning to the courts to declare DOE’s 24-hour strike illegal, a strike that raises demands such as salary increases, the prevention of school mergers, and the hiring of new educators.”

“Invoking the Hatzidakis Law (Law 4808/21), the Minister of Education and the Government are seeking the complete elimination of teachers’ right to strike.”

“In light of this development, the Executive Committee of ADEDY, opposing the criminalization of labor struggles and the government’s authoritarianism, declares a 24-hour strike for tomorrow, Wednesday, October 23, 2024, for primary and secondary education teachers.”