Teachers’ Union Announces Strike and Protest for June 2

Government session began with the moment of silence for the victims of the May 3 shooting in the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in Belgrade.Belgrade, May 4 2023 (BETAPHOTO/SERBIAN GOVERNMENT/SLOBODAN MILJEVIC)

On May 22, the Independent Teachers’ Union announced that it would stage a one-day strike and protest in front of the Government Headquarters in Belgrade because the Cabinet and Ministry of Education have ignored the teachers’ requests regarding enhancing security at schools.

The strike will entail classes shortened to 30 minutes, while the protest will commence at 4:30 p.m. All teachers, regardless of their union affiliation, have been called on to participate.

In its press release, the Independent Teachers’ Union stated that it still has not received a response to the requests submitted to the Ministry and government following the May 8 protest in Belgrade.

“The demands are: the introduction of the option of suspension for misbehaving students, the abolishment of anonymous reports to the Educational Inspection Service – because this has been abused to exert pressure on teachers, and having the Criminal Code prescribe harsher penalties for violence perpetrated at schools,” the Union explained.

The Union further maintained that Education Minister Branko Ruzic’s resignation “likely only served to buy time for the regime to rally in the wake of the tragic events at Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School, and not as a gateway for [the authorities] actually taking responsibility for the current state of society and undertaking a serious reform of the educational and child-rearing system in Serbia.”