DutchNews.nl - Thousands of teachers demonstrate in Utrecht against longer hours

Thousands of striking teachers gathered in Utrecht on Thursday in protest at government plans to increase their teaching hours and cut holidays.

The strike led to some 200 schools closing their doors for the day. In total, 20,000 teachers and school support staff took industrial action, according to union AOb.

Education minister Marja van Bijsterveldt earlier said teachers were irresponsible to strike, particularly as this is an exam week.

'We are not striking because we like it but because we have to,' Gijsbert Boogia of the Abvakabo FNV teaching union told Nos television. 'The minister is not happy about the strike. Does she not realise there is never a good day to strike in education?'

Longer hours

The strike is in protest at the cabinet's plans to increase the number of teaching hours in pre-college and pre-university education to 1,040 a year, up from the standard 1,000. The change is at the insistence of the populist PVV, despite a government committee recommending no change.

The extra hours, teachers say, will be impossible to meet with current funding and staffing levels, meaning pupils will be 'locked up' for hours without supervision or lessons.

Teachers are also angry that their official summer holiday will be cut from seven to six weeks. They argue much of the long break is taken up with preparation and meetings, and that they need time off to recover from the pressures of the job.

Van Bijsterveldt says reducing the summer holiday will allow teachers to better spread work currently done as overtime and avoid pressure peaks.

Special education

In addition, teachers are opposed to the cabinet's special education reforms which they fear will mean more special needs children in ordinary schools without proper funding. They are also unhappy at the fact their pay has been frozen and that the cabinet is pressing ahead with introducing performance-related pay.

When Van Bijsterveldt was appointed minister, some 45% of teachers said they would give her the benefit of the doubt, Trouw points out. That percentage has now halved, and just 3% of teachers think the government's measures are improving education.

I bet quite a few of these teachers will vote very differently at the next election, sure hope so. Wonderful saying in Dutch: those who can hear (the truth), must feel it.
I don't think it feels very good. Too bad many people didn't read - or hear - enough about the party they were voting for - before it all got this far and became such a mess. Holland was once a wealthy happy and quite liberal progressive country, once upon a time.

By Bill | January 26, 2012 3:55 PM

Teachers say they need time off to recover from the pressures of the job and summer holiday will be cut from 7 to 6 weeks. Not too many jobs have the luxury of 6 or 7 weeks off to recover from the stress and pressures of the job.

By Henk | January 26, 2012 5:44 PM

Well, I must say that although I am against strikes in principle, in this case I agree with the teachers. Seven weeks sounds like a lot, but one has to note that they work many extra hours through extra curricular activities, lesson preparations, special needs, etc. They are also one of the most influential factors in forming our childrens characters and I want them happy in their jobs. I know a couple of teachers and do not begrudge their holidays and have a lot of respect for the diligence and effort they put in to guiding our youth.

By Mike | January 27, 2012 8:02 AM

As a retired 31 year retired high school teacher in the US, I hope the striking teachers stand strong and united. It seems the Neterlands' government is similar to the US in their lack of support of public educators. I agree their is never a good for a teacher strike (my union was once on strike for four weeks) but sometimes there just isn't an alternative.

By Steven van Eman | January 27, 2012 10:16 PM