Despite a back-to-work order by the National Labor Court, teachers at 60 high schools said they will continue their strike if no agreement has been reached with the government by Thursday, when classes are to resume.

"Our goal is to reach a critical mass of teachers that would empty the injunctions of meaning," said one teacher. "Refusal to obey the orders does not constitute breaking proper standards of behavior, but rather their restoration. You cannot resolve a conflict like this with a unilateral measure such as a back-to-work order – only through negotiations."

The decision is based on a legal opinion that said teachers who do not go back work would, at most, be considered "absent without justification." Disciplinary measures against such a teacher could include listing the absence as an unpaid leave, among other options.

A breakthrough was apparently reached between the Secondary School Teachers' Association and the Education and Finance Ministries in marathon talks late Monday.  Negotiations on the details are to resume Tuesday at 11:00 a.m.