- Title: Colombian teachers return to the streets over working conditions
- Date: 23rd May 2017
- Summary: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (MAY 23, 2017) (REUTERS) TEACHERS MARCHING WITH ENORMOUS COLOMBIAN FLAG TEACHER MARCHING WITH A SIGN WITH A DRAWING OF A GRUMPY YOUNG GIRL, READING (IN SPANISH): "WHY WOULD IT BE?" TEACHERS MARCHING WITH ENORMOUS COLOMBIAN FLAG, SEEN FROM BELOW TEACHER DANCING WITH BALLOON, IN FRONT OF BANNER CLOSE-UP OF TEACHERS' FEET AS THEY DANCE IN MARCH PERCUSSIONISTS AT MARCH GENERAL VIEW OF PAIR OF TEACHERS DANCING IN MARCH GENERAL VIEW OF PEOPLE IN THE STREET, PROTESTERS WITH COLOMBIAN FLAGS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) TEACHER, PABLO DIAS, SAYING: "I'm a teacher from Soacha. We're (teachers) asking for better health conditions, a more comprehensive health coverage, a government that listens to us and I hope they hear us and support us so we can get better education for the children of our country." GENERAL VIEW OF TEACHERS MARCHING WITH BANNERS TEACHERS MARCHING INTO CENTRAL BOLIVAR PLAZA WITH BANNER READING (IN SPANISH): "DISTRICT ASSOCIATION OF EDUCATORS, PRESENT! PRESENT! PRESENT!", PEOPLE DANCING CUMBIA IN TRADITIONAL DRESS DANCERS PERFORMING CLOSE-UP OF BANNER READING (IN SPANISH): "PRESENT!! EDUCATION IS AN ACT OF LOVE AND THEREFORE A VALUABLE ACT" (A QUOTATION FROM BRAZILIAN WRITER, PAULO FREIRE) TEACHERS HOLDING BANNER READING (IN SPANISH): "NORMAL SCHOOL SUPERIOR D MARIA MONTESSORI", AND STUDENTS HOLDING SIGN READING (IN SPANISH): "I SUPPORT MY TEACHER" CLOSE-UP OF SIGN READING (IN SPANISH): "I SUPPORT MY TEACHER" (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) STUDENT, VALENTINA PULIDO, SAYING: "We have to demonstrate too because we feel that we are implicated too, not only the teachers who deserve dignified conditions, so we are in the streets, fighting for our rights too." GENERAL VIEW OF PROTEST IN BOLIVAR SQUARE COLOMBIAN FLAG BLOWING IN WIND GENERAL VIEW OF STAGE SET UP FOR PROTEST CLOSE-UP OF PERSON DRESSED IN MASK TYPICAL OF COLOMBIAN CARNIVAL IN BARRANQUILLA BANNER READING (IN SPANISH): "IF YOU CAN READ THIS IT IS BECAUSE A TEACHER TAUGHT YOU. FOR DIGNITY. LONG LIVE THE STRIKE." PERSON IN CARNIVAL COSTUME HOLDING BANNER AND WALKING AWAY (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) TEACHER, LORENA MELO, SAYING: "The government is not attending to the needs of the people, to the needs of the teachers. They are needs of all of society, of the students who need to be listened to and attended to, the health of our families which must be dignified." VARIOUS GENERAL VIEWS OF PROTESTERS GATHERED IN BOLIVAR SQUARE CLOSE-UP OF SIGN READING (IN SPANISH): "I HAVE HAD IT WITH CORRUPTION" TEACHER HOLDING SIGN READING (IN SPANISH): "I HAVE HAD IT WITH CORRUPTION" GENERAL VIEW OF PROTEST
- Embargoed: 6th June 2017 22:46
- Keywords: working conditions march protest Colombia Teachers
- Location: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
- City: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
- Country: Colombia
- Topics: Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0016I2AE6B
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Thousands of Colombian teachers and accompanying students took to the streets of capital Bogota on Tuesday (May 23), in the latest of a series of protests over working conditions, including low salaries and health coverage.
The march took place amidst a national teachers' strike which began May 11 and, according to the Colombian Federation of Educational Workers (Fecode), was a response to proposals set forward by the government this week to raise salaries by a percentage relating to the minimum wage, whereas the teachers are demanding the rise on their existing salaries.
A similar march on May 16 was triggered by a meeting the previous week with Finance Ministry negotiators who told the teachers there was no more money, according to the federation.
In 2015, the national government agreed to integrate teachers into a programme in which their salaries would rise gradually by a point system over four years. The federation says the government has not complied with these agreements and seeks to further renegotiate their economic situation.
Education Minister, Yaneth Giha, previously said the marches were "unjustified", claiming the government had complied with all of its responsibilities, and that 11 agreements had been made since the first week of negotiations in March. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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