Der aktuelle Tarifkampf der Beschäftigten im öffentlichen Dienst der Bundesländer wird auch international mit Interesse und Aufmerksamkeit verfolgt. Davon zeugen zahlreiche Presseberichte und Solidaritätsbekundungen von Gewerkschaften der Bildungsinternationale, dem internationalen Dachverband von rund 400 Lehrer- und Bildungsgewerkschaften, dem auch die GEW angehört. Nachfolgend dokumentieren wir einige der uns während der letzten Tage zugegangenen Solidaritätsadressen:
Angelo Gavrielatos, Australian Education Union
History has taught us that our successes are always commensurate to our strength “on-the-ground”. The strike pictures from Germany look great!
I wish you every success.
Solidarity!
Kathy Wallis, NASUWT, United Kingdom
Please pass sororial greetings to your members who are taking action. It is a difficult decision but when no one will listen and take heed that is all that is left. I will be with them in spirit.
Best wishes
Ragnild Lied, Utdanningsforbundet, Norway
We, the Union of Education Norway, give our full support to the strike and the actions taken by the German teachers and the GEW in their fight for increased salary and a collective agreement for the 200.000 salaried teachers in the public schools.We hope that the teachers together with the other workers in the public sector on strike will be heard, and that teachers with the same qualification and the same type of responsibilities should have equal pay and working conditions all over Germany.
Union of Norway wishes you a successful outcome of the strike!
Lorretta Johnson, American Federation of Teachers, USA
On behalf of the AFT’s leadership and our 1.6 million members, we express our strongest support for the GEW during these extraordinary days, as your state governments ignore teachers‘ demand for equal pay for equal work, and simultaneously trim teachers‘ pensions, earned during a life dedicated to public service.
In these times, while Germany enjoys unparalleled economic success, it is outrageous that teachers would be called upon to bear an unfair economic burden. Our governments have no cause to balance their budgets on the backs of hardworking teachers.
Since my earliest days as a union leader in Baltimore I have been very proud to champion the cause of equal pay for equal work in the classroom. The GEW’s decision to take strike action over this issue is a strong statement that our brothers and sisters deserve respect and recognition, and we will not break faith. In the days ahead, we will strongly support the GEW as it fights to maintain its members’ rights so that they may best serve their schools, their students and their communities.
In unity
Christine Blower, National Union of Teachers, United Kingdom
On behalf of the National Union of Teachers in England and Wales, we send the German Education Union (GEW) our very best wishes for your action in March 2015. I hope you persuade decision-makers of the debilitating effect that inadequate teachers’ pay has on both the teaching profession and young people. We wish you every success in your campaign for fair pay for all teachers in Germany. As part of our current campaign ‘Stand up for education,’ the NUT believes that the role of teachers should be valued – both nationally and internationally.
In solidarity
Kamuran Karaca, Eğitim Sen, Turkey
Our Sister Union GEW Is On Strike! In Deutschland, there are big differences in terms of pay, social security and working conditions between teachers even if they have been making same job. Regarding this issue, GEW - one of the biggest organizations in Europe and our sister union - has been on strike with other education organizations since last week. During two weeks of strike, on behalf of Eğitim Sen, we declare our support and solidarity with our comrades in Deutschland.
The situation which they face is very similar to Turkey. In Deutschland, education workers are employed under two different type; as full-fledged civil servants ("Beamte") or as employees ("Angestellte") like in Turkey. Despite claims of state authorities about preferences, we are aware of the reality related to transformation of working conditions in education sector. Full-fledged and safe working conditions give its place to flexible, low-paid and unsafe working conditions.
Number of teachers employed as Angestellte is almost one fifth of total teachers. Contracts of these teachers contain time-constraint, low-wages and disadvantaged health insurance. However, they are forced to work as flexible. In order to explain the total picture about their situation, one teacher has computed wage difference between full-fledged teacher and employee. A teacher working as Angestellte earns 200.000 Euro less than a teacher working as Beamte for 30 years.
Due to 16 different education systems in Deutschland, this strike aims to eradicate all injustices and inequalities between states. Since the ban on civil servants for strikes and new era of collective bargaining with government will start in near future, GEW declares their position as ‘warning strikes’. They are decisive to go on their struggle. Here are demands of GEW which are shared us;
• standardized rules for public services
• two statuses, of employed and civil servant workers, would be abandoned
• for all education workers; full-fledged and safe working conditions, sustainable wages
• a 5.5 percent pay rise, a minimum of 175 euros (5)
On behalf of Eğitim Sen, we would like to declare our support with education workers in Deutschland again.
