Teachers were striking across France on Thursday, February 1, for better pay and conditions, increasing pressure on the embattled education minister who has been embroiled in a series of controversies. The walkout is "a warning to the government" about teachers' "daily life, their suffering at work and the lack of recognition, especially in their pay," said primary school teachers' union FSU-Snuipp, predicting "hundreds of schools will be closed."
The union added that "the situation has been inflamed by the nomination of a part-time minister who has forfeited her credibility." With former education minister Gabriel Attal promoted to prime minister, Amélie Oudéa-Castéra was given the key education brief alongside sports, including this year's Paris Olympics, and youth.
Thursday's strike, which coincides with ongoing protests by agricultural workers, had been planned since before the government reshuffle that put Oudéa-Castéra in place. But she set teachers bristling from the moment of her nomination, as she claimed she had put her children into an exclusive Catholic private school because of "loads of hours with no proper replacement" teacher at her son's public primary school.
The then-teacher of Oudéa-Castéra's son later came forward to contest her version of events, while the press also unearthed allegations of sexism, homophobia and circumventing competitive university admissions processes at the school. She recused herself from affairs concerning the private school, Stanislas.
Teachers had returned from the holidays to "yet another change of pilot and... the nomination of a minister who had a catastrophic start," said Elisabeth Allain-Moreno, secretary-general of teachers' union SE-Unsa.
Some 47% of middle and high school teachers were on strike Thursday morning, the leading Snes-FSU union said, while FSU-Snuipp tallied 40% in primary schools. The Education Ministry gave a different ministry in the morning, saying 20% of teachers were on strike. A Paris march will kick off towards the education ministry from 2:00 pm, while others were planned in major cities nationwide like Marseille, Rennes and Nantes.