Prison strike suspended

After three weeks the national strike by school staff has been suspended but the ZNP teachers' union is determined to maintain its campaign for more funding for education and better pay for teachers and other school workers. The union says that the first stage of the strike was a success in putting education at the centre of the national debate and highlighting the low levels of pay across the sector. While the union has secured a 10% pay increase it remains committed to higher pay as well as aiming for major reforms of the education system and getting a commitment to increased funding.

The SAK trade union confederation has decided to suspend the industrial action taken by a number of its member organisations in order to engage with the government over its programme of welfare cuts and anti-union measures. The actions began on 11 March and were suspended on 8 April. The unions involved were in both public and private sectors – the industrial union, the AKT transport workers' union, service union PAM, the construction union, the JHL public and welfare sector union and the electricity union. SAK wants the government to make clear that it won’t bring forward measures to restrict