To solve the problems of non-teaching staff in schools, the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation intends to improve the remuneration conditions of these professionals, specifically those of workers with educational functions.
The proposal has already been finalized and was presented by Minister Fernando Alexandre at an event on mental health. “We will distinguish between non-teaching staff allocated to educational activities and employees who carry out tasks related to cleaning school spaces, security, among others. We want to qualify people according to the tasks they perform, especially those linked to educational functions”, said the minister.
Operational assistants perform multiple functions in schools, including monitoring playgrounds and students, supporting those with specific educational needs, cleaning spaces, answering calls and resolving conflicts.
The fact that there is currently no “separation of tasks and functions between operational assistants is problematic”, highlighted the Minister of Education. “These workers do not feel comfortable having to clean bathrooms, monitor the playground and even, if necessary, provide support in the classroom. There is a lack of clear guidance for schools on the management of non-teaching staff.”
Furthermore, “many of these workers perform functions in both schools and city halls, which are responsible for their management.” He highlighted, however, that “some schools already distinguish profiles and qualify workers based on their specific functions”.
The management of non-teaching staff is shared between the government and municipalities. It is up to the Ministry of Education to define employee rates by group, careers and remuneration, while city halls assume the responsibility for hiring these professionals, in the context of the process of decentralization of skills.
To ensure the expected salary increases, funds will be transferred to the municipalities, based “on the geographical area and the number of students”, explained Fernando Alexandre. However, he did not specify values or deadlines, stating only that “the objective is to move forward as quickly as possible”.
The ratio of employees by grouping will also be reviewed. “We are about to award a study on decentralization in the area of education, which will allow us to review the indices,” said the minister. The study will be conducted by a university and “will map the competencies attributed to city halls and evaluate how they are, or are not, being assumed.” The minister did not give a date for completing the study, but suggested that it could be ready before the municipal elections.
The creation of a special career for non-teaching workers – a demand from unions that represent professionals in the sector – It is not in the plans of the Ministry of Education. “We intend to use existing careers to introduce the differentiation we want”, explained Fernando Alexandre.
The Express emailed questions to the Ministry of Education for more information about the model, including expected salary increases and the organization of the new structure. He sought to clarify, for example, how the distinction will be made between workers with educational and non-educational functions and what the criteria are for separating these categories, especially considering that many accumulate both tasks in their daily lives. It also sought to understand whether, with the differentiation, workers with educational functions will fall under the Ministry’s jurisdiction, while the others will remain under the management of city halls. However, it has not been possible to obtain a response so far.
Strikes lead to school closures
In the first two months of this academic year, there were several strikes by non-teaching staff, particularly operational assistants, leading to the closure of several schools. The main demands of these professionals include salary increases, the creation of a specific career that values years of service, the multiple functions they perform and allows salary progression based on seniority.
On October 4th, a strike with high support from non-teaching workersestimated at around 85%, according to data from the National Federation of Workers’ Unions in Public and Social Functions (FNSTFPS). The strike was organized to demand the creation of special careers, salary adjustments and better working conditions. Among the demands of the FNSTFPS are the review of the index ordinance, in order to increase the number of workers, the fight against precariousness and the reversal of the municipalization process, which transferred the hiring of these professionals to city halls within the scope of decentralization.
More recently, on November 15, teachers and non-teaching school workers joined a national strike to demand professional development. Called by the Union of All Education Professionals (STOP), the strike was accompanied by protests in several cities.
For non-teaching workers, STOP demands salary differentiation based on seniority and a “significant decrease” in the ratio of students per operational assistant. He also defends the creation of a specific career, arguing that the operational assistant career is “too comprehensive”, considering the specificity of the tasks performed by school workers.
There have also been strikes called by different trade union organizations, including FESAP (Federation of Unions of Public Administration and Entities with Public Purposes), FNE (National Education Federation) and SINTAP (Union of Workers of Public Administration and Entities for Public Purposes). These entities represent workers from different sectors of public administration and have been fighting for better working conditions, including salary increases, career reviews and other specific demands for school professionals.
Source: expresso.pt
