Teachers at the Portuguese School in Dili hold protest for equal pay

Teachers at the Portuguese School in Dili held a protest in front of the educational establishment this Wednesday to demand equal pay and in solidarity with their colleagues in Luanda, who began a strike on Monday for the same reasons.

“Since September, we have not had any agreement on our conditions. The Minister [of Portuguese Education, Fernando Alexandre,] recently came out to say that everything was being taken care of. We want to believe that this is the case and we trust the Minister’s word, but unfortunately the situation is dragging on and is becoming unsustainable for some of the people who are struggling with the high cost of living in Timor-Leste ,” said Professor Bruno Torres.

Those teachers joined the staff of the Portuguese School of Dili in December 2023, but the contract kept them in a precarious situation as they receive a salary identical to that of Portugal without any financial compensation , unlike what happens with teachers on a mobility basis who teach at the same school.

Teachers at the Portuguese School in Luanda begin five-day strike

Teachers on mobility receive a monthly allowance of US$1,500 (EUR 1,430) to compensate for differences in the cost of living in Timor-Leste.

“We are 10 teachers. Since September, we have continued to perform our duties in the same way, with the same professionalism and dedication, always hoping that our conditions will be resolved, but I cannot help but warn of the uncertainty that this causes”, highlighted Bruno Torres.

“ We are a little tired of promises and we don’t know how long we have to wait, ” he said, asking the Portuguese authorities to “speed up the resolution of the process” and provide more information about what will happen.

Bruno Torres also defended identical contractual conditions for contracted teachers.

PS questions Government about the situation of teachers at the Portuguese School in Luanda

Also present at the protest to show his solidarity was the advisor to the Portuguese community in East Timor, Filipe Silva.

“I have supported this cause since the beginning, because I understand that having a difference in salaries and conditions between teachers who are here on the staff and teachers who come on mobility from Portugal is not healthy and is not good”, stated Filipe Silva.

Filipe Silva also considered that the situation does not create conditions for more teachers to want to be part of the staff of the Portuguese School of Dili , does not motivate teachers and could jeopardize the environment and results of the educational establishment itself.

The advisor has already contacted the Portuguese authorities, but, so far, has not received any official response.

“I regret that the Government has changed legislation that is relevant, and that does not only apply to the Portuguese School in Dili, but to all schools abroad, and that this issue was not foreseen, which now requires changes to the basic legislation”, he stated.

For Filipe Silva, it is “unacceptable that after eight months teachers continue to wait for a solution”.

“East Timor is a country with a very high cost of living and, if teachers only receive a salary like they would in a school in Portugal, it is not viable at all for people to want to stay here and it is also not viable for attracting and motivating more teachers who want to come to Timor”, added the advisor.