The new Minister for Education, Claude Allègre, wishes to create new jobs from October 1997 without deviating from the present education budget. The sector's trade unions have reiterated their demands on this issue.
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The new Minister for Education, Claude Allègre, wishes to create new jobs from October 1997 without deviating from the present education budget. The sector's trade unions have reiterated their demands on this issue.
The programme of Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, who came to power in June 1997, includes the gradual creation of 350,000 new jobs for young people in the public sector (FR9706149F). Claude Allègre, the new Minister for Education, has announced the recruitment, starting at the end of October 1997, of 40,000 people in the education system. They are to be paid the SMIC minimum wage (80% by the state and 20% by local authorities) and given five-year contracts. The new recruits will be mainly employed in the organisation of cultural projects and in the struggle against violence, principally in "priority education areas" (Zones d'Education Prioritaires- ZEP).
The Minister for Education also expressed the wish to see supply teachers given permanent positions in secondary education (middle and high schools - collègesand lycées) (FR9702117N). In addition, a large number of teaching posts in universities and of research posts in public research centres are to be created. These measures are to be implemented in parallel with the transformation of overtime into jobs in order to limit costs.
The two main teaching unions, the FSU (Fédération syndicale unitaire) and the FEN (Fédération de l'Education Nationale) are in the main satisfied, but are at the same time wary: they do not want the creation of jobs for young people to take place at the expense of public employees' posts.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (1997), Employment creation in the national education system, article.
