On Sunday (May 11), in front of the Ministry of Education in Belgrade, representatives of preschool workers read five demands of employees in preschool institutions, one of which is the right to strike.
We demand that the employees of preschool institutions in Serbia be given the right to a meaningful and effective strike, they said, stating that the preschool workers demand an urgent change to the Law on Strikes.
"Should we illegally close all kindergartens in the city in order for you to hear us?", asked the competent institutions.
Preschool Edict passed
Participants protest of pre-school workers, which is held in Belgrade, first paid their respects to the victims of the fall of the railway station canopy in Novi Sad with a sixteen-minute silence on Republic Square.
After the silence, the protestors made noise with whistles and horns.
They read the Preschool Edict, in which it is stated that the employees of preschool institutions in Serbia stand with the students and support their struggle for a fairer, freer and better society. The edict has so far been signed by around 1.000 employees in almost 90 preschool institutions in Serbia.
"Every day, through our work, we teach children the values of freedom, justice and community, because we believe that this is the only way we can build a society that belongs to everyone. We feel a responsibility to support those who fight for a better and fairer society," said the preschool workers.
At the protest, there were banners that read "Whoever hides from his mother, should go back to kindergarten", "Preschool is not taught - students grew with us, now we are growing with them", "Children are the decoration of the world - your educators".
They provided support to preschool workers and Students in lockdown, with the flags of their faculties and the banner "Machines against machinery".
After the silence on Republic Square, preschool workers started a protest walk to the Ministry of Education, chanting "Preschool is not taught, preschool is not sold, for children, for knowledge, we want respect."
They also shouted "Pump, pump".
They started from Republic Square, Kolarčeva Street, via Terazi. In that part of the city, the police stopped traffic in the lane where the protest participants were moving. Preschool workers are greeted by citizens, as well as drivers, who pass in the opposite lane, with sirens.
Preschool workers' protest
The protest of preschool workers started on Sunday (May 11) at 11.30:XNUMX a.m. on the Republic Square in Belgrade, organized by the community of preschool employees - Preschool Circle.
According to the protest plan, a walk to Manjež Park and the building of the Ministry of Education will begin at 13 p.m., where teachers and students will make speeches, read the demands of preschool workers and hand over a letter to the Ministry.
In the call for the first protest meeting, it was stated that the goal is to articulate the attitude of employees in preschool institutions towards the changes in society initiated by students and connect the wider community around issues important to the preschool education sector, and thus society as a whole.
The organizers stated that the tasks of the meeting are the promotion of the Preschool Edict, a symbolic document, with which preschool employees express their commitment to the values on which this activity rests and provide support for the student struggle for a better and fairer society and to present demands, the fulfillment of which would enable the improvement of the quality of work in preschool activities and contribute to the joint struggle for an orderly society.
Source: FoNet