The threat of a teachers’ strike, which is set to shut down schools as of November 26, remained in place following a meeting featuring a range of officials at the Presidential Palace on Monday, November 19.
"The strike hasn't been averted," said head of the trade union representing teachers Pavel Ondek after meeting with President Ivan Gašparovič, Finance Minister Peter Kažimír and Education Minister Dušan Čaplovič. Ondek added that teachers will insist on a 10-percent rise in salaries for all staff, while the cabinet is sticking to a 5-percent hike only, excluding university lecturers.
Kažimír said after the meeting that each side had unveiled its own proposals, but he declined to specify any of them. He noted that the figures and calculations regarding the education sector that the ministry and the trade union have at their disposal are at variance and that these discrepancies need to be sorted out first.
Gašparovič said, according to the TASR newswire, that everybody must realise the sort of situation that prevails in Europe at the moment, and "the strike wouldn't really be a victory for anybody if nothing is achieved". He went on to urge all parties concerned to come to "a reasonable agreement". This was the second session on the issue at the Presidential Palace. No tangible results were achieved last Monday, either. Teacher unions confirmed on Monday that they will go on strike, starting Monday, November 26.
(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
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