Paulo Vendeira, a leader of the Public and Social Services Workers Union, stated that non-teaching staff from four school groups in Moita have been on strike since 7 a.m., with a participation rate of approximately 90%.
He explained that the strike and protest followed six months of unsuccessful efforts to arrange a meeting with the municipal president, as workers demand additional hiring to meet growing needs.
The Moita City Council, in a response sent, denied any formal request from non-teaching staff for a meeting with the municipal president.
In a motion submitted at the town council, workers highlighted that the ongoing education municipalization process has worsened working conditions and created new operational constraints for schools.
The motion outlines that prior to the transfer of responsibilities to municipalities, schools had recruitment mechanisms to replace staff absent for more than seven days. Such replacements have not been guaranteed since April 2022.
The union reported that high work rates due to staffing shortages have impacted non-teaching workers’ physical and mental health, with frequent cases of staff taking medical leave due to exhaustion.
Workers demand sufficient hiring to uphold their rights and maintain the public school quality, advocating for the security and well-being of the entire school community.
Non-teaching staff in Moita are also requesting the replacement of all workers absent for over 30 days, the presence of health professionals to conduct medical procedures in schools, including treatments like injections and tube feeding. Such responsibilities, according to Paulo Vendeira, have been inappropriately assigned to non-teaching staff in cases involving children and young people with special needs.
Upon inquiry, the Moita City Council explained that the staffing ratio for non-teaching school personnel is legally defined by Ordinance No. 73-A/2021, which amends Ordinance 245-A/2020. This ordinance regulates how the maximum staffing level is calculated for school groups and non-grouped schools.
The council stated that this regulation is set by the Ministry of Education and often doesn’t reflect the operational realities of areas, especially rural zones like Moita. Many municipalities agree on the need to reassess and amend staffing allocation terms.
The Moita council pointed to collaborative efforts within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, where 18 municipalities have positioned themselves on education issues, including staffing discussions. However, any change depends on the Ministry and lawmakers, not municipalities.
The council reassured that it closely monitors these issues, reporting to the Regional Education Delegate in Lisbon and Vale do Tejo about the daily operational challenges imposed by regulation.
Additionally, it noted that Moita’s non-teaching staff includes many older workers with frequent and prolonged medical leaves and others with function limitations due to chronic health issues duly confirmed by health authorities.
Addressing requests for additional staffing for children with specific educational needs, the Moita council explained decisions rest solely with school directors on the DGEstE platform, which approved only two extra staff for schools in the 2024/2025 academic year.
“We must stress the Ministry’s responsibility in inadequately addressing the applications submitted by school directors,” the council added.
