“This is the moment for teachers and researchers to join the fight for defending labor rights and demand better salaries and working conditions in higher education institutions, which have declined over recent decades,” emphasized the union’s president, José Moreira, in a statement.
Besides the Government’s proposals for the Trabalho XXI labor package, which the SNESup claims facilitate dismissals, increase precariousness, and attack unionism against the principles of labor rights, the union uses the strike to recall long-standing demands.
Among the main issues, higher education researchers and teachers cite the “sharp and continuous decrease in purchasing power” in recent years, precarious contractual ties affecting most researchers and visiting professors, and “constant blockages” in progression opportunities.
In a statement, the union advocates for updating pay scales, integrating precarious researchers and visiting professors into their respective careers, and implementing the regime for faculty and researchers in private institutions.
Regarding labor law reform, José Moreira writes that the proposed changes will intensify the difficulties already faced by professionals and exacerbate the blockages to career progression and attractiveness.
