Students held hostage by syndicates

 Students in front of Liceu de Camões, 

nervously awaiting to know whether or not,

 they will be able to write their final exam of Portuguese today

Education minister Nuno Crato

Portuguese students are being held hostage by the 

Trade Unionists who ordered a strike of teachers, 

to prevent students from iniciating their exam period.

The students who are most severly affected by this strike, 

are the final year students who need to qualify for university entrance.

The government has been more than willing and open to find a solution to 

unionists grievances, but they have been intrasigent, 

and completely unwilling to budge an inch in their reinvindications.

The Minister of Education, Nuno Crato,  

has been firm in maintaining the exam dates as planned, 

avoiding an enormous logistical problem, 

as well as not allowing the syndicates to dictate their own political agenda.

But the future of the 12th year students are being hi-jacked, 

and the students being held hostage, 

by syndicates who use them as shields, 
or like ping-pong balls, 
creating enormous instability and uncertainty about the future.

The same syndicates NEVER signed or agreed to ANY measures 
of ANY government since 1974.

NOTHING is ever good enough for these syndicates 
and they use whoever at hand, 
in this case, the final year students,

to cause as much damage as possible, 
to try to swing public opinion in their favour.

Playing with young people's future 

and disrupting the normal functioning of public schools 

are the worst of power struggles possible.

Students have ONLY ONE opportunity to do these exams, 

the syndicates have many other ways and dates to strike on.

Absolutely Deplorable!!