“Given the seriousness of the situation in Education and the problems affecting teachers (which the Government insists on dragging on), it was decided to hold both demonstrations on the 4th”, revealed Fenprof, one of the nine organisations unions that called for the protests.

Thus, at 15:30, the two protests starting from Rossio, in Lisbon, and Praça do Marquês, in Porto, will be held simultaneously.

The nine unions also called for two district strikes: On Thursday, schools above Coimbra are paralysed and on Friday it is the turn of educational establishments in the south, that is, from Leiria to the Algarve.

The announcement of the strike led the government to ask for minimum services that were accepted by the arbitration panel, which decreed the obligation of services equal to those of the strike of the Union of All Education Professionals (STOP), which has been on hold since 9 December.

The nine unions on the platform are: Association of Licensed Teachers (ASPL), National Federation of Teachers (FENPROF), National Federation of Education (FNE), Pro-Order of Teachers, Union of Educators and Licensed Teachers (SEPLEU), National Union of Education Professionals (SINAPE), National and Democratic Union of Teachers (SINDEP), Independent Union of Teachers and Educators (SIPE) and National Union of Teachers Licensed by Polytechnics and Universities (SPLIU).