An Angolan teachers' strike started around 100% membership

In statements to Lusa, the Secretary-General of the Angolan National Teachers Union (Sinprof), Admar Jinguma, said that “the strike is a fact”, stressing that “in most provinces the [accession] level is around 100%”.

Sinprof called four strike periods, the first to 21 September, in protest against the alleged non-compliance with the agreement concluded with the executive in January.

“ Here in Luanda there are literally no classes in any public and public-private educational institution, the other provinces also have photography through the images that are coming, the strike is effective ", said Admar Jinguma.

According to the unionist, on Wednesday the last meeting between the parties was held, but no understanding was reached, in the points that still divide teachers and the Ministry of Education, the first two of the claim book.

“ They are related to the career progress of the agents and the levelling of careers and management of the academic profile, these are the points that still divide us, we have no approximation”, he said.

Admar Jinguma advanced that a meeting was scheduled for Saturday, but the teachers understood not to meet that day, being available to gather from today.

The strike, subdivided into four phases, has the first scheduled for the period from 21 September to 15 October, the second for the period from 02 to 18 December, the third for the period from 10 to 26 February 2027, and the fourth for the period from 17 May to 18 June 2027.

In the announcement of the strike, the union advanced that “in the face of non-compliance and violation of the terms of the agreement concluded on 8 January”, the Sinprof National Council decided to decree a strike in general education, technical-professional, teacher training and adult education.

At the meeting where the strike decision came from, the president of Sinprof, Herminia Maria da Conceição Ferreira do Nascimento, quoted in the statement, said that “the Angolan teacher is tired of unfulfilled promises”.

“For three decades we have claimed the same questions, and the time has come for concrete answers,” he said.

Before the strike the parties held some meetings, but without positive results.

At the meeting on Saturday, to which Sinprof was unable to participate, in statements to the press the Secretary of State for Labour and Social Security, Pedro Filipe, listed a set of actions already carried out by the Government, considering that the demands made by teachers have been fully fulfilled.

Pedro Filipe reported that the claim book presented in January had nine points, among which stood out the promotion process of category 53,755 agents, who were out of the process in 2024.

The Angolan government stressed that next month it will begin the first phase of this process, which will cover 27,000 education agents, of which teachers and administrative officials admitted between 2017 and 2018, while those admitted between 2019 and 2020 will begin to see their categories updated in the first quarter of 2027.

According to Pedro Filipe, the requirement was also met regarding the processing of the holiday allowance on separate leaves, to reduce the tax burden, the distribution of school textbooks, the strengthening of the budget for schools and the full payment of the 13th month, as well as the examination premium to the holders of management and management positions.

For the Angolan ruler, there is no basis to proceed with the strike, which started today and runs until October 15, in this first phase.

“Do not leave the house. The strike is not done in the workplace. Leave the workplace to the flies. The only teacher that will be there will be the strike picket, which will be at the entrance of the school ", calls the direction of Sinprof in a message to teachers.