Liège math teacher condemns strike mechanics as a catastrophe

Des grèves de professeurs touchent une trentaine d’écoles en province de Liège ce mercredi.

A Mathematics Teacher Condemns the Blockade Mechanics

According to Van Emelen, standard picket-line practices breed deep inequities among school staff. In an average school of one hundred teachers, only three to six educators typically register their absence as an official strike, accepting the loss of their daily pay.

The Mechanics of the Travailleurs Empêchés Loophole

Van Emelen states that the remaining staff members retain their full salaries by registering as prevented workers—travailleurs empêchés—utilizing picket lines that block school entrances to justify their status.

They stay in the street, at the cafe or at the bakery while waiting to sign at the end of their schedule.

An educator working an 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. schedule can easily arrive just to sign in before leaving without any real oversight or attendance control.

Classroom Disruption and Student Impact in Liège

This system of blocked entrances enables informal rotations among colleagues, letting teachers share the financial burden while undermining the collective impact of the strike. Van Emelen argues this dynamic directly harms students. When he forced his way past a picket line, he found nearly 70% of his students present in class, only for those students to be sent home by 10 a.m. because insufficient staff remained to supervise them for the rest of the day.

Demands for Transparency Amid Wider Protests

Describing the situation as a form of hostage-taking, Van Emelen clarified that he does not necessarily support the reforms being contested, but he demands honesty from the profession. He asserts that the protest loses its legitimacy unless it takes the form of an assumed, transparent, and solidary strike undertaken by the entire profession. Meanwhile, separate demonstrations have unfolded in the region, with approximately two hundred angry teachers gathering outside the Palais de Justice in Liège to voice their ongoing grievances.