Rebel authorities could be punished

Education minister Xavier Darcos said he is preparing to take action against communes who broke the law by refusing to operate minimum service requirements during yesterday’s strikes.

Authorities in Toulouse, Montpellier, Grenoble, Rennes and communes in Paris refused to lay on staff to look after primary school children in line with legislation passed last August.

Several Socalist-run authorities in Paris refused to do so claiming political reasons.

Mr Darcos said: “The law is the law and it must be applied.”

“That’s fine to want to oppose the government but they will need to explain this to families,” he added. “I will see how we are going to react, and then we will react.”

The minister said he had instructed prefects in the region “to be vigilant”. The prefects can refer councils who took the decision not to act to court.

The law states that authorities must provide staff to look after primary school children in the event of a strike where 25% of teachers are predicted to walk out.

Yesterday’s ‘day of action’ was in general poorly attended by the teaching profession according to the Education Ministry which said 4.95% of primary school teachers had taken part.

However many schools closed nonetheless. In the Haute-Garonne out of 164 communes where more than 25% of teachers were expected to take part, only 32 put minimum service requirements in place.

In Paris 62 schools were expecting 25% of teachers to strike but only between ten and 15 put measures in place.

The federation of school parents PEEP said that “there are many places other than school to make your voice heard and to oppose the government”.

Photo: Service photo de Matignon