At stake is the vandalism of Eduardo Peres Alberto's residence, by unidentified elements, following anonymous death threats.
In a note, the parliamentary group of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) says that it follows "with great concern the denunciations of the assault and vandalism of the residence of the secretary general of the Union of Higher Education Teachers, Peres Alberto, with threats of death, which took place on April 10, in Luanda".
"The UNITA parliamentary group urges the Ministries of the Interior, Higher Education and other related bodies to investigate and clarify this and other cases of threats to strikers and that the presumed perpetrators be held accountable, as a strike is a constitutionally right. consecrated", stresses the note.
According to UNITA's parliamentary group, the cyclical strikes in the education and higher education sectors "are the result of bad policies by the executive, its inability and intransigence in negotiations with the class, with drastic consequences evident in the final performance of students".
The note highlights that, at a time when the school year is coming to an end, higher education teachers are maintaining the active strike because they consider that there are no responses from the executive regarding the points contained in the claim notebook.
"In the same sense, general education teachers denounce the non-compliance of the executive regarding the agreements signed in the last negotiations, for which reason they promise to return to the strike in May, even if this interferes with the final exams and, consequently, with the performance of the students", he stresses. the document.
In this sense, the UNITA parliamentary group "calls on the common sense of the parties and, above all, on the executive to comply with the agreements signed to safeguard the interests of teachers, students and society threatened with the uncertainty of the end of the school year ".
UNITA parliamentarians also urge the executive "to pay greater attention to workers' concerns to avoid strikes and that these are seen as an alert to the wrong course of public policies in the country".
For the UNITA parliamentary group, "investments in the education and higher education sectors must take into account not only the construction of classrooms, but also the training of staff and their dignity, with fair wages and working conditions at up to the challenges of the profession".
The note stresses that UNITA "will request parliamentary hearings from the Ministers of the Interior and Higher Education and reiterates its determination to do everything to demand that the executive comply with the implementation of the percentages established for education by international organizations, within the framework of the OGE [General State Budget], in order to guarantee a quality of education that creates cadres capable of competing on an equal footing in any part of the world".
Eduardo Peres Alberto told Lusa that his residence, in Luanda, was vandalized by strange elements, who broke one of the windows in one of the rooms and then sent a message to his daughter's cell phone with "promises of death".
"It was between 10:30 and 11:00 local time, this Monday, in broad daylight, after vandalizing the house, they broke one of the windows in one of the rooms and then sent a message to my eldest (daughter's) cell phone that 'They saw the scare, next time we're going to kill'", he said.
Teachers claim salary updates, better working conditions, health insurance and others, contained in a memorandum of understanding of November 17, 2021.
"Our only partner is the Government with whom we signed the memorandum of understanding on November 17, 2021, we do not know of another partner interested in lifting the strike, because the perpetrators demand that we lift the strike", said the official. from Sinpes.
Asked if he feared the worst, following the vandalism of his residence, Eduardo Peres Alberto replied: "Even if they kill the general secretary, the strike will not stop and the quality of higher education will not improve because of this act".
The trade unionist also regretted the silence of the police authorities, where he has already made complaints, and the Government regarding the points contained in the teachers' claim notebook.
