 For more videos on people's struggles, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. On January 13th, France saw a historic strike by workers in the education sector. Across the country, teachers and other staff members stayed off work and took to the streets where they were supported by parents. The protests were called for by all major trade unions against inconsistent policies of the French government towards testing in schools. But it is also directed towards a larger set of demands regarding safe working conditions better wages and benefits. What was the larger context behind the strike? And how has the government treated the education sector? Basin Ackerman from the Education Wing of the French Union, CGT explains. The problems are not from this year. It's a problem after two years of health crisis, in fact. In the education in France, we are in the same point than in Shelley, in fact. Or not. It's worse because in France, more of the various stipulates, more of the measures for education are lights. Classes are not closed in case of COVID. For example, there is no massive testing campaign, no more isolation measures for contacts, and for the workers, still no protection, no withdrawal, just a simple, close mask. And the minister continues to despise us, in fact. The direction stayed in holidays. Yesterday, we know that the minister was in holiday, he designed Spain. For the start of the school in January, he was totally absent. All of these elements create anger among workers. So the last week, it was an historic mobilization in education. All trade unions, from the most radical to the most liberal, in fact, agreed for a one-day strike. It was historic for us, and it was an historic success. More than 75% strikers in schools, and more than 60% of strikers in the middle and right school. And after this day, in my trade union, for example, we prepare a second day of massive strike next Tuesday, the 27th. This day will be interprofessional, with education, of course, but all public services, of course, like energy, railway workers, and the private sectors, too. The theme will be salaries, pensions, and unemployment. Because since two years of crisis, nothing has been done for the workers while the capitalists are getting richer than ever, in fact. In the aftermath of the strike, the Prime Minister and other ministers met union representatives and reached agreements on certain demands. What were these key demands of the strike, and what was the government's response? In my trade union, we think it was no approach about our government. Our mobilization, with the mobilization, we see the most important thing. Example is distance learning. It's a good example. After two years, no training, no equipment has been put in place by government, nothing in school, nothing in college. And in France, the teachers continue to use their personal computers, personal phones, personal media to prepare and to work. And we pay with our money, the protection, like masks, like gel, no preparation, total improvisation, in fact. Our demands are simple, in fact. Because with the big mobilization last week, we obtain crumbs, in fact. But crumbs that we have been asking for two years, for example, chirurgical masks. We ask about this since two years, and after the mobilization, governments say, okay, we will give you about a chirurgical mask. So today, our demands are simple, like protection for the workers, chirurgical mask, or gel, or FFP2 mask. We would like to close the class, if there are cases of COVID, in fact. And we want recruitment of teachers, school nurses, and social workers for the families. We want better salaries that have been blocked for more 10 years in France for education. And we want to postpone an exam, we are scheduled from March to June. Finally, France is set to witness presidential elections in April. However, issues of livelihood have not figured prominently in many of the discussions of the elections. How do French unions see these coming elections and what are their demands? In fact, we speak about salaries, we speak about protection, we speak about health, because in France, we are in an election period. And in April, the French people will choose a new president. And for the trade unions, it's very important to speak about these social problems, not about the problem chosen by the media or by the conservatives or the French people. They want to speak about immigration, security, but for us, and for my trade unions, it's necessary, it's important to speak about social, to speak about salaries, to speak about unemployment, because I said that in first, during these two years of crisis, nothing has been done for the workers. And it's necessary to protest, it's necessary to win a better world. And in the CGT, our new slogan is a new world is possible.