Thousands of Teachers Protest Education Policies in Lisbon
Thousands of teachers took to the streets in Portugal’s capital, Lisbon, to protest the education policies of the center-right government. The teachers marched through the city center, demanding higher salaries, faster career progression, and better working conditions. The protest brought long-standing debates over pay, workload, and professional advancement among education workers in Portugal back onto the national agenda.
The teachers’ union FENPROF organized the demonstration. The union accused the government of ignoring the teachers’ union FENPROF, which organized the demonstration and heavy workloads. In Portugal, where teachers’ salaries remain 15 to 25 percent below the OECD average throughout their careers, public-sector salaries also serve as a reference point for private schools.
The protest took place at a time when public opposition to the Portuguese government’s labor reform plans had been growing. Trade unions in the country argue that the government’s proposed labor market reforms would weaken job security and roll back workers’ rights. The government, however, insists that the reforms aim to increase productivity and support economic growth. The march by Portuguese teachers in Lisbon showed that the demands of education workers regarding salaries, career progression, and working conditions are unlikely to disappear from the country’s agenda in the short term. While unions called on the government to take concrete steps to improve teachers’ professional conditions, protesters emphasized that teachers’ demands must be taken into account to strengthen public education.