The Union of All Education Professionals (S.TO.P.) is contesting reimbursement requests of thousands of euros directed at senior technicians working in schools, related to the 2017/18 biennium. The union considers it "extremely serious" that these workers are being asked to return amounts received within the scope of salary progression and argues that they should not be held responsible for procedures or decisions they did not make, accusing the Agency for the Management of the Education System (AGSE) and school administrations of decisions and interpretations that have harmed these professionals.
According to S.TO.P., the situation affects psychologists, social workers, therapists, and sociocultural animators, and is linked to problems that have persisted since the Extraordinary Program for the Regularization of Precarious Employment Contracts in the Public Administration (PREVPAP). The union states that these professionals were the only public administration workers to suffer a salary reduction of approximately 180 euros per month upon their integration, with some senior technicians currently earning less than their contracted colleagues.
The union explains that some workers used points obtained through performance evaluation to recover part of their lost remuneration, but are now facing reimbursement requests for amounts related to the 2017/18 biennium, following alleged errors or different interpretations by AGSE and the school cluster administrations.
The contestation comes after a plenary held on July 28 by S.TO.P. and the Movement of Specialized Education Technicians (MNTEE), which brought together more than 350 professionals and decided to move forward with protest actions. On August 6, dozens of workers gathered outside the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation. The union is now preparing a new online plenary, scheduled for September 3, aimed at specialized and senior technicians, to discuss the reimbursement requests and define new forms of intervention.
