Soyo – Angola’s minister of Education Luísa Grilo said Tuesday in Soyo, northern Zaire province, that the government is working to meet the demands of teachers in the country.
Minister Grilo was once again reacting to a possible strike announced by the National Union of Teachers (SINPROF) which, among other things, is calling for better salaries and working conditions.
She asked the union for greater consideration, stressing that everything is being done, in order to respond to the proposals contained in the list of demands.
The minister said she was unaware of any intention of a possible strike by SINPROF, stressing that her office did not acknowledge any document on the matter.
She also said that last Friday, her department met in Luanda with representatives of the teachers' union with the aim of finding mechanisms for permanent dialogue and solutions that serve both sides.
"The strike is a right of SINPROF, but the government will continue to seek dialogue with its union partners, in order to find the best ways of understanding," she said.
It is too early to predict the constraints on the national school calendar for the current academic year, which a possible strike could generate, as there is no indication of how many days this strike would last.
The minister of Education was speaking to the press at the end of a meeting with school managers from Zaire province, as part of the National Educators' Day, which was marked Tuesday, and whose central ceremony was hosted in Soyo city, Zaire province.
The Education minister is on a three-day working visit to the municipality of Soyo.
