France’s education unions are calling for strikes on Thursday, January 20th, exactly one week after strikes closed down schools across the country. 

“We need to go further to be able to work in an environment that is safe for pupils as well as adults,” said Sophie Venetita, the general secretary of the SNES-FSU union, in an interview with Europe1 on Sunday. 

Unions claimed that 75 percent of primary school teachers and 62 percent of middle school and high school teachers went on strike last week – the government said that only 38 percent of teachers across the country were striking. 

READ MORE Why are France’s teachers going on strike over Covid rules?

Following the most recent strike, the government promised to provide 5 million of the high-spec FFP2 masks to schools and the deployment of thousands of substitute teachers through to the end of the year. 

The unions themselves see this as a victory but say they need further concessions. 

In a communiqué published on twitter, the SNES-FSU branch in Seine-Saint-Denis, just outside of Paris, called for the following actions to be taken immediately: 

• The return of class closures if one pupil tests positive;
• Investment in anti-bacterial gel and CO2 captors to test air quality;
• The cancellation or delay of exams; 
• A massive recruitment drive for more teachers;
• Salary increases.  

🔴 Tou·tes en grève jeudi 20 janvier ! ✊📢🔥#Greve20Janvier

Après 1 journée de grève et de manif' historiques le 13 janvier, NON, nous ne sommes pas satisfait·es !#GreveDesEcoles

L'école a besoin d'un véritable PLAN D'URGENCE !@93Fsu @SnesFsuCreteil @SNESFSU @FsuNationale pic.twitter.com/18WHXfVm27

— SNES-FSU 93 (@snesfsu93) January 16, 2022

This union branch said: “On Monday, we haven’t seen anything concrete in our schools and establishments”. 

“We plan on maintaining the pressure to achieve real advances”. 

As with the last strikes, not all of the unions are agreed on what they want. Some are not calling for the return of the “one positive case = class closure” rule. Others want the Education Minister, Jean-Michel Blanquer, to resign. 

Further strikes are planned on January 27th. In a joint communiqué, a number of education unions said that this strike would be “massive”. They will form part of wider public and private sector strikes on that day against “austerity measures from the government and bosses.” 

The strikes come at an awkward time for French President Emmanuel Macron, who is yet to announce his intention to stand for re-election in April – but is widely tipped to do so.