- Title: Colombian teachers take to the streets over working conditions
- Date: 16th May 2017
- Summary: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (MAY 16, 2017) (REUTERS) TEACHERS MARCHING TEACHERS MARCHING WITH LARGE COLOMBIAN FLAG MAN MARCHING ON STILTS WITH HORNS ON HIS HEAD TEACHERS MARCHING WITH LARGE COLOMBIAN FLAG (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) UNIDENTIFIED TEACHER, SAYING: "We are against this president who has not met (with his agreements). He's only lied. We are here, demanding student and teachers' rights." TEACHERS MARCHING WITH A BANNER WITH THE NAME OF THE SCHOOL TEACHERS MARCHING WITH BANNER READING (IN SPANISH): "FOR THE WORKING RIGHTS, UNION RIGHTS AND HEALTH RIGHTS." (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) TEACHER, ARISELY GONZALEZ DE OROZCO, SAYING: "We are protesting in first instance, to defend public education. That's the point of the strike, to defend public education. And so that the government sits down to negotiate our demands with the syndicate." TEACHERS POSING FOR PHOTOGRAPH TEACHERS JUMPING UP AND RUNNING FORWARDS IN MARCH VARIOUS OF PROTESTER DRESSED AS GRIM REAPER WITH SIGN READING (IN SPANISH): "NATIONAL GOVERNMENT" TEACHERS MARCHING WITH BANNER READING (IN SPANISH): "THE TEACHERS DEMAND A DIGNIFIED SALARY" TEACHERS MARCHING WITH A PAPER RAT (SYMBOL OF CORRUPTION) AND BANNER READING (IN SPANISH): "MORE EDUCATION LESS CORRUPTION" TEACHERS MARCHING AND CHANTING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) TEACHER, KISQUEA MORALES, SAYING: "Our children are currently out of their activities due to bad infrastructure. We don't have the conditions we should have. There are schools that don't have teachers, but there are exams coming up. We are asking for quality education. How can the government ask for quality education if they do not give what they have to give us, the educational community and the teachers and everything else involved? Long live the national teachers' strike." DEMONSTRATORS IN CENTRAL BOLIVAR PLAZA COLOMBIAN FLAG TEACHERS SHOUTING AND PUNCHING ARMS IN THE AIR VARIOUS OF TEACHERS WAVING FLAGS AND UMBRELLAS IN THE AIR
- Embargoed: 30th May 2017 23:12
- Keywords: teachers march demonstration Colombia
- Location: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
- City: BOGOTA, COLOMBIA
- Country: Colombia
- Topics: Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0026H3A2WZ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Hundreds of thousands of Colombian teachers took to the streets throughout the country on Tuesday (May 16) protesting against working conditions, including low salaries and precarious health conditions.
According to the Colombian Federation of Educational Workers (Fecode), the march was triggered by a meeting last week with Finance Ministry negotiators who told them there is no money. It takes place amidst a national teachers' strike which began May 11.
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, said the march was "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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