Teachers and other school employees are not satisfied with 5-percent salary increases, so they have decided to hold another strike, said leader of the teachers’ trade union Pavel Ondek at a press conference in Kežmarské Žľaby (Prešov region) on Monday, October 15. The union has chosen to begin the strike on November 26, while the end date will be decided later on by the strike committee. The date of the strike was not selected randomly, Ondek pointed out, adding that MPs will be discussing the state budget proposal for 2013 in Parliament at that time.
"We expected from the government, in accordance with its Government Manifesto, that it would at last initiate systematic measures aimed at a long-term critical situation regarding financing and evaluation in the education sphere," said Ondek for the TASR newswire, repeating that the union is demanding a 10-percent salary hike and an additional €10 million for the education sector per year. The strike should take a similar form to the one organised by teachers and school employees on September 13, when most schools and universities in Slovakia remained closed. "We believe that announcing the strike will put us on the path towards successful negotiations with the president, prime minister and MPs concerning our demands," said Ondek.
Education Minister Dušan Čaplovič said last week that a 5-percent increase in salaries (around €32 per month for teachers, €18 for other staff) is the maximum level feasible in view of the possibilities afforded by the state budget.
(Source: TASR)
Compiled by Zuzana Vilikovská from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
