Author: Ilona Bērziņa
The council of Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Employees (LIZDA) decided to organise an indefinite strike of education and science workers starting with 19 September. There is a chance to avoid this strike, as LIZDA and the Ministry of Education and Science (IZM) will try to reach a compromise. However, if teachers’ demands are not heard and are not guaranteed through actual decisions from the government, there will be an indefinite strike.
Two of the main demands LIZDA has is the respect of previously defined teachers’ pay principle and the balancing of workload in less than six years. These demands will be discussed at the upcoming meeting between LIZDA and the ministry. These talks are expected to go on from 24 August until 7 September. If talks fall through, the indefinite strike will commence on 19 September. It is planned for the strike to include teachers of all levels across all of Latvia’s regions. Each participant will be able to choose their place of protest. LIZDA will demand payment of wages and social insurance contributions to all teachers participating in the strike in accordance with Section 28 of the Strike Law.
Why are teachers in Latvia going on strike?
Traditionally one of the main reasons are the low wages teachers in Latvia are paid and the government’s unwillingness to fulfil their promises. This time, however, the situation is slightly different. Until now the wage increase schedule was complied with and LIZDA is grateful for that. From 1 September 2022 onward the lowest monthly wage rate will be increased by 8.4% – from EUR 830 to EUR 900, whereas the lowest wages of pre-school teachers will be increased by 11.2% – from EUR 872 to EUR 970.
The main problems is that the government has yet to approve the schedule for the lowest wages in the coming years. There is also the lack of clarity in regards to teachers’ workload balancing and IZM’s developed «Pupil in municipality» pay model.
It’s not like the teachers’ wage increase schedule doesn’t exist: it is mentioned in IZM’s report for public discussions Proposals for teachers’ pay increase and workload balancing period between 1 September 2023 and 1 September 2027. This document states that the lowest pay rate would be EUR 976 as of 1 September 2023, EUR 1 058 as of 1 September 2024, EUR 1 147 as of 1 September 2025, EUR 1 243 as of 1 September 2026, and EUR 1 347 as of 2027. As for pre-school education institutions (5-6 year-old child education), it is planned for wages to increase to EUR 1 141, EUR 1 312, EUR 1 483, EUR 1 656 and EUR 1 795 respectively. However, this schedule is not yet approved in the government.
LIZDA also wants the government to approve a 60:40 ratio for teaching and preparation hours. IZM, on the other hand, believes reaching this ratio will be possible no sooner than 2028.
The ministry’s proposed pay model provides for transferring state funding for teachers pay to municipalities, which will then distribute the money among education facilities within their respective territories. Although IZM believes this new system will have municipalities take a more active part in the reorganisation of their respective school networks, representatives of local governments are concerned the new approach may create a greater burden for local budgets. Increase of teachers’ pay may not turn out as expected, since there are multiple municipalities in which subjects are taught by part-time teachers. More than 3 000 teachers protested against this outside the Saeima on 16 June. However, their plea fell on deaf ears. LIZDA believes a more optimal solution would be a pupil/teacher rate.
Not the first time teachers go on strike due to wages
While in 2015 teachers were paid EUR 600, by 2020 this amount reached EUR 790. In this year’s school year this amount will be EUR 900. Minister of Education and Science Anita Muižniece told the Council of LIZDA that 99% of teachers in Latvia are already paid well above the lowest rate. According to data from the State Revenue Service (VID) for May 2022, teachers in Latvia are paid on average EUR 1 111, which is equal to EUR 1 348 for 40 hours of work.
However, the wage issue has been an Achilles’ heel for IZM since the restoration of independence of Latvia. In the last thirty years there have been approximately ten protests from teachers.
The biggest teachers’ strike took place in 1994. The strike lasted five days. On day one 73% of Latvian schools took part. In the end teachers secured a 16% increase to their wages. Five years later there was another strike – 16 November 1999. Nearly 53 000 teachers from 1 550 education facilities took part in it. Because the government refused to yield to LIZDA’s demands, approximately 48 000 workers from 1 534 education facilities took part in a strike on 1 December.
Teachers demanded to bring their wages to the level of two minimal wages and accomplished just that.
The next strike organised by LIZDA took place in autumn 2005, securing a raise of LVL 50. In 2007 teachers gathered for a protest yet again, securing another raise of LVL 50, resulting in teachers’ wages reaching LVL 344 or slightly higher than EUR 489.
In 2006 IZM developed a wage increase programme for 2006 – 2010. This good intention failed, and in September 2008 teachers demanded this programme to be implemented not only on paper, but in action as well. The government under Godmanis promised LVL 70 or EUR 100 bonus pay. Unfortunately, instead of the promised raise, amendments to the budget of 2009 secured a more than 40% drop for teachers’ wages. LIZDA threatened with a lasting strike, but it never happened. LIZDA threatened again in 2013, but the trade union and the government reached an agreement on the main principles for wage increase.
A year later – 12 May 2014 – teachers gathered for a repeated protest.
More than 7 000 teachers in Latvia took to Dome Square, where they met with then the Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma. What she told them was not to their liking, and so teachers promised to go on strike. Another year later – 27 November 2015 – a one-day strike took place. During it, teachers protested against the teachers’ pay model and low wages. Approximately 2 000 teachers gathered outside the Saeima in 2019.
Now Latvia can expect an indefinite strike. The issues unresolved on a national level remain the same. One can only hope LIZDA, IZM and the state budget holder Ministry of Finance will be able to reach a compromise.