‘I cannot allow political use’, says AM governor about teachers’ strike

Marcela Leiros – Cenarium Magazine

MANAUS – The governor of Amazonas, Wilson Lima (Union Brazil), presented on the morning of Thursday, 1, balance of negotiations to end the strike of education workers in the state, which already lasts 16 days. In a press conference, Wilson talked about the political involvement in the teachers’ strike, after the Union of Education Workers of the State of Amazonas (Sinteam) has refused the state proposals.

The governor announced, at the meeting held at the headquarters of the Government of Amazonas, in the neighborhood Compensa, west of Manaus, readjustments to the category. Wilson also said, without naming names, that some leaders of the strike are involved in party-political issues and aim, with the strike, to promote their images in the media.

“It is not fair that this keeps happening in the state of Amazonas. This kind of thing I will not allow to happen, to make political use of a movement of people who claim to represent teachers and who try to use education professionals as a maneuver mass,” he said, recalling that students have already been harmed at the time of the Covid pandemic.

“We can’t harm the students after a tough pandemic process that we had, in which they had to stay out of the classroom, of children who go to school looking for the first meal of the day, of parents who work and rely on full-time school to leave their children, so they can have tranquility to go to work”, he added.

The senator for Amazonas Eduardo Braga (MDB), political opponent defeated in the second round in the 2022 elections by Governor Wilson Lima, published on social networks an image next to representatives of the Strike Command of the state education network.

The meeting, according to the parliamentarian, occurred on Saturday, 27. “We talked about the economic losses that the category accumulates and the low quality in education in the Amazon”, wrote the senator in the photo caption.

Another politician who published images with representatives of the strike was the federal deputy Sidney Leite (PSD). In a video shared on the social network Instagram, parliamentary appears next to the president of Sinteam, Ana Cristina Rodrigues, visiting the union headquarters.

Watch video:

The strike of professionals in the public education network of the Amazon is considered illegal, since it was triggered after the decision of the judge of the Court of Justice of the Amazon (TJAM), Domingos Chalub, which determined the suspension of the indicative strike. The strike began on May 17 and the magistrate’s decision is from the 15th of the same month.

Readjustment

The governor announced the readjustment of 8% of the base-date for 2022, retroactive to the month of March; in addition to an increase of 18.42% in the transportation allowance; vertical progression for 2,225 teachers and educators of the state education network; and immediate hiring of teachers selected through the Simplified Selection Process (PSS) that are in a reserve register in the State Department of Education (Seduc).

Wilson Lima also promised to forward to the Legislative Assembly of Amazonas (Aleam) two bills (PL) for granting Supplementary Scheme for school secretaries and district coordinators.

With the adjustment of the base date, the salary floor of 40-hour journey teachers will leave R$ 4,749.22 to R$ 5,129.16, from October this year. The amount paid, in Amazonas, will be 6.03% higher than the floor paid in the country.

For the teacher in the beginning of his career, who currently receives R$ 5.416,42, the remuneration will be raised to R$ 5.827,16.

See what has been announced:
Adjustment of 8% of the base date referring to 2022, retroactive to the month of March;
Increase of 18.42% of the transport aid for education servers, from R$ 167.20 to R$ 198;
Forward to Aleam two bills (PLs) for the concession of a Complementary Regime for school secretaries and district coordinators;
Vertical progression for 2,225 teachers and pedagogues of the state education network;
Immediate hiring of teachers selected through the PSS who are on the Seduc reserve list;
Launching, until Monday, 5, of a new emergency PSS for hiring new professionals.

The Sinteam called a press conference to be held on the afternoon of Thursday, 1, at the headquarters of the union, located in the center of the capital, south of Manaus, to provide clarification on the strike of workers in education and on statement by Governor Wilson Lima.