Teachers protest forced transfer from Lemnos to Lesvos

The ELME union of Lemnos – Agios Efstratios is demanding the immediate reversal of a decision to forcibly transfer three secondary education teachers from Lemnos to Lesvos. The teachers had originally applied for secondment to the Lesvos PYSDE (Regional Secondary Education Directorate) specifically to work on Lemnos.

Following the Ministry of Education's announcement on July 2, the teachers were initially assigned to schools on Lemnos. Having already secured housing and organized their lives on the island, they were abruptly notified on August 7 that their placement had been modified to schools in Lesvos.

The union argues that the current secondment system for island PYSDEs is flawed, as teachers must apply to the entire directorate (which includes Lesvos, Lemnos, and Agios Efstratios) rather than selecting a specific island. ELME has criticized the move as treating educators like “numbers” rather than people, noting the change was made without justification or the consent of the affected teachers.