Around 1,000 teachers gathered outside the Presidential Palace on Thursday to protest changes to the teacher appointment system and demand safeguards for educators already working in public schools.
A delegation representing the education unions entered the Presidential Palace and handed Deputy Government Spokesperson Yiannis Antoniou a memorandum addressed to the President of the Republic.
In the memorandum, the unions called for the immediate submission of what they described as a “fair and comprehensive proposal” for the appointment system.
According to the delegation, Antoniou undertook to initiate meetings in the coming days and left open the possibility of a meeting with the President himself.
The education unions are expected to hold meetings in the coming days, both jointly and separately.
Teachers raise concerns over employment future
The demonstrators held placards bearing slogans including “We are people, not numbers”, “Job security, quality education” and “Did you pass the exams? Secure our jobs”, expressing concern over their employment prospects.
Their main demands include safeguarding teachers already serving in public schools and ensuring that their professional experience is taken into account under the new appointment system.
POED: ‘We are not asking for a favour, we are asking for justice’
POED president Myria Vasileiou described the demonstration as a struggle for dignity, arguing that teachers should not be treated as numbers on a list.
“When injustice becomes law, resistance becomes a duty,” she said, stressing that the proposed regulations affect people who support pupils on a daily basis.
“You cannot ask a teacher to create a safe environment for children when that teacher is living with insecurity themselves,” Vasileiou said, calling on the state to assume its responsibilities.
OELMEK: ‘The ministry’s proposal does not address our concerns’
OELMEK president Konstantinos Konstantinou criticised the government, arguing that problems with the appointment system have remained unresolved for a decade.
“Unfortunately, the Education Ministry’s updated proposal does not address our main concerns,” he said.
Konstantinou argued that a closed register for temporary appointments, without a genuine prospect of permanent employment, does not provide meaningful security.
He called for previous service to be recognised, fair transitional arrangements to be introduced and binding solutions to be agreed, stressing that new inequalities between teachers must not be created.
OLTEK calls for fair treatment without additional state costs
OLTEK president Panayiotis Lysandrou said the education unions were seeking a fair transition to the new appointment system without imposing additional financial costs on the state.
“We are not demanding anything that entails additional costs for the state,” he said, adding that the demonstration did not affect the operation of schools.
Lysandrou also stressed the need for fair treatment of contract teachers, teachers on indefinite-term contracts and substitute teachers who meet the day-to-day staffing needs of public education.
Teachers’ unions recall past campaigns
The president of the retired teachers’ organisation also addressed the gathering, referring to a strike 63 years ago over the demand for equal pay for men and women.
He said education unions had historically campaigned for equality and dignity, arguing that safeguarding teachers already in service and recognising their professional experience remained essential today.
Education Ministry proposal at centre of dispute
The demonstration comes amid continuing disagreement over the Education Ministry’s updated proposal for the new teacher appointment system.
The education unions argue that the proposed arrangements do not adequately safeguard teachers already working in the system and are calling for meaningful dialogue backed by specific commitments.
Education Minister Athena Michaelidou, meanwhile, has said the proposal meets the vast majority of the education unions’ demands, while making clear that the government cannot accept automatic permanent appointments.
The disagreement remains unresolved, with the education unions continuing to call for a solution that provides employment prospects and fair treatment for all teachers affected by the changes.
