Francophone teachers to strike on 10 and 25 November

Teachers in French-speaking Belgian schools plan to strike on Monday 10 November and again on Tuesday 25 November, another day of national action.

Four of the five trade unions will call on their members to join the teachers’ strike, said Roland Lahaye of the CSC union.

Unions are protesting against the austerity measures in the French Community's budget for the coming year, which was presented earlier this month.

Those measures require compulsory education, which makes up the bulk of the budget, to tighten its belt by €86.7 million next year.

All teachers in the final years of secondary school will also have to give 22 hours per week of lessons instead of 20 and the sick leave scheme for teachers will be brought into line with that for all civil servants.

Élisabeth Degryse's French Community government is also putting an end to the scheme that currently allows teachers to move up a payscale by taking a master's degree in education.

While the action on 10 November is focused on French-speaking education, teachers are also being called upon to join the national strike on Tuesday 25 November.

Teachers' unions have already carried out various actions this year. In January, they organised two days of strikes and a demonstration in Brussels, with more than 30,000 people taking to the streets to protest against the education reforms of the new MR and Les Engagés majority.