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All-Ukrainian trade union protest action: stand up for our rights


18 жовтня 2018

On October 17, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, trade unions organised an all-Ukrainian protest action in Kyiv.

Thousands of trade unionists joined the action to express their strong protest against increasing consumer prices and communal tariffs and demanded to increase wages and pensions and take account of trade union proposals to the State Budget 2019.

Participants gathered at the Shevchenko park and marched through the city centre to the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, where the main rally took place.
Almost 5 thousand education workers from all over the country took part in the protest action with their own slogans and demands to the Government.
Main demands of the Trade Union of Education and Science Workers of Ukraine included: to provide for the allocation of at least 7% of GDP to the education in the State Budget 2019; to increase students’ scholarships and teachers’ wages; to increase by 10% salaries of all education workers; to increase the educational subvention from the State Budget to local budgets in 2018 in order to ensure timely payment of teachers’ wages.

President of the Trade Union of Education Workers of Ukraine Georgiy Trukhanov said:

“Today education workers from all regions of Ukraine came to the capital to voice their demands to the Government. The trade union first of all demands to implement existing laws on education not only on paper and on TV, but by real measures and with financial support of teachers.

The Trade Union of Education Workers stands for quality education and motivated teachers regardless of the region or locality, be it kindergarten in the countryside or school in the capital, VET school or prestigious university.
Ukrainian teachers must be protected and their work should be respected by authorities and society, because it’s they who nurture the future of our country.
Education reforms cannot be implemented without teachers. They are their creative leaders and main implementers. And introducing serious changes one should remember teachers and take into account their thoughts and needs.

We do see some positive signs in Government’s increased attention to the education, there is an intention to improve the situation. However I believe that only real improvement of the status of the teaching profession, higher wages, and better conditions at workplaces could restore the trust of teachers in their profession and attract youth to the profession motivating them to stay and work in their own country instead of migrating abroad in search of decent jobs».

International Department

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