Teachers picket in front of the Vilnius City Municipality. „We are working for free”

In front of the Vilnius City Municipality a picket of the teachers working in the reorganized schools of Vilnius took place.

„The Municipality did not sign any law, everything is based on promises. The teachers who work with the students attending 11th and 12th grade perform secondary work, as a result, they are going to lose part of their salaries. We are doing the same work for free. We feel sorry for the children in shock. The whole summer was nervous. On 31 August we were happily preparing for the new school year, in the evening we found out that the court has abated its decision. I proposed to sign the notebooks with the name and class only and write in the name of the school later, but everyone wrote Konarski High School” – said to the journalists Leonora Kadevičienė, Russian language teacher in Konarski High School.

Paradoxically, currently the students of 11 and 12 grade of Konarski High School are, in terms of law, attending the Mickiewicz Junior High School. However, due to the abated ruling of the court and verbal permit to temporarily learn in their native school, the students frequent the Konarski High School.

„The executive power, administration, should prepare a solution for the teachers, headmasters, students and parents. Currently, the headmasters of nine schools are only in possession of the resolution of the Council in which a couple of issues is addressed such as reorganization of the school, the obligation of the headmasters to perform registration acts. We do not know what will happen to the financing, how the financial reckoning will be lead or who is going to pay for the heating. Moreover, teachers have no jobs and are unsure whether they are going to receive social payments” – said Renata Cytacka.

The Municipality was not informed of the picket so the protesters were approached by the police. After a brief explanation and informing the policemen about the aim of the picket and ensuring them that the teachers know all requirements regarding the number of people etc., the police left the protesters in peace.

„We are conducting the classes in the Konarski High School, but according to the recommendations of the Municipality, in order to teach the older students we should find a job in other school. This, however, would be a secondary job which is not financially favorable to us. Further, we signed the employment contract for a year and we do not know what will happen next. We also do not know of the effect it will have on our retirement” – said Olga Jurkevičienė.

Another paradox is the fact that we do not know who is responsible in case any harm happens to the students, as they are officially registered in the Mickiewicz Junior High School while attending Konarski High School.

The teachers issued a petition to the Mayor of Vilnius in which they demand among other things:

„We are against working for different employers by two employment contracts (one of them temporary) and being legally dependent on two educational facilities.

Moreover, the teachers are losing their time running between two schools. The time which he or she could devote to qualitative and effective teaching of students, preparing for classes etc. Such ambiguous situation can no longer take place.

We demand the demission of the deputy chief of administration responsible for education Rokas Uscila”.