The academic semester appears to have more or less been lost, after the administrative employees at the National Kapodistrian University of Athens (UOA) and the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA) decided to continue their strike over the government suspension and dismissal plans until Tuesday.
With time running out, the Minister of Education softened his stance and proposed a 5-step plan, according to which the majority of the administrative employees scheduled for dismissal or suspension would remain in place or be transferred to other positions in the public sector.
The administrative employees however were not convinced by the Minister of Education’s intentions and rejected his offer, with the NTUA employees being the first to convene and cast a vote in favor of continuing their 12-week strike until Tuesday. Their colleagues at the UOA followed suit and also demanded that the relevant ministerial decree on suspensions be withdrawn.
While the administrative employee unions will convene again on Monday (NTUA) and Tuesday (UOA) to revise their plans, the prevailing belief over the future semester is one of uncertainty. This is evident by the tension and charged atmosphere at the marathon and arduous administrative employee assemblies.
The Minister of Education was disappointed by this development and was critical of the fact that the assembly at the UOA voted by acclamation. Mr. Arvanitopoulos stated that the UOA “illegally remains closed” and accused “a small group from ANTARSYA and SYRIZA” pf “holding hostage the students, teaching staff and the vast majority of their colleagues”. Mr. Arvanitopoulos added that “dialog cannot go on with a closed university; the state will not negotiate or be blackmailed”.
