Belgrade University medical school goes on strike

Faculty members say they have taken a more active role in supporting student actions that have been ongoing for months, and that the strike is their contribution to the student-led blockade, said N1’s reporter.

The strike involves a partial work stoppage and will continue until the demands submitted to the Serbian Government, Education Minister Dejan Vuk Stankovic, and the medical school administration are met, the strike committee said.

One of the key demands is the annulment of a recent amendment to the regulation on work standards in publicly funded sectors. Medical school members - along with professors from other colleges, argue the amendment was adopted unlawfully, and have submitted a request to the Constitutional Court to review its legality and constitutionality.

In addition, the list of demands includes physical protection for students participating in the blockade and an end to pressure tactics, such as unannounced inspections that schools and colleges have faced in recent months.

These decisions were made jointly during a student-professor plenary. As a result, there will be no lectures, practical sessions, or exams at the medical school, except for those related to specialist training programs, said N1’s reporter.