Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Workers (LIZDA) decided at an extraordinary meeting to commence the indefinite strike on 19 September, rejecting the offer composed by the Ministry of Education and Science, said LIZDA head Inga Vanaga.
She said the strike will happen because the compromises proposed so far are insufficient and LIZDA believes the government’s offer is aimed at dividing teachers and proposes no real solutions for all groups of teachers.
«We’ve been trying to find a solution regarding the workload for teachers since 2016. It was possible to make these decisions earlier, before the protest and before the start of the strike procedure,» said Vanaga.
She said LIZDA will follow development of the situation. The possibility of calling an extraordinary council meeting is also possible.
«We aren’t happy with the offer from IZM, which covers only some teachers. The fiscal offer is tempting, but there are multiple risks in this situation, even chaos, which may surface if kindergarten teachers decide to go work at elementary schools or if vocational education teachers decide to work at general education institutions,» said Vanaga.
At the same time, Vanaga said not all possible risks were assessed in IZM’s offer.
«Solidarity and a joint position is what we need right now. There are demands for certain issues, and the trade union does not consider focusing on other topics acceptable,» said Vanaga.
On Thursday, 15 September, it is planned to continue talks between LIZDA and the ruling parties of the government coalition.
Vanaga previously reported the proposal from the ministry applies only to teachers in general education. LIZDA’s demands, on the other hand, are for all groups of teachers.
Minister of Education and Science Anita Muižniece previously stressed that the general education sector was the one that suffered the most from Covid-19 pandemic and that this is the reason why the focus is put on this education level.
The ruling coalition in Latvia previously agreed on funding EUR 60.2 million. EUR 3.7 million of this amount are to be allocated from the state budget programme for emergencies.
The additional funding of EUR 56.5 million is planned to be allocated to balance teachers’ workload from 1 January 2023 onward. According to Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš, this funding could be secured during the creation of the next year’s budget.
More on the topic: LIZDA: Latvian government’s proposed compromise provides nothing to 20 000 teachers
Although the PM said the current government cannot decide on the next year’s budget alone. He did say that parties of the ruling coalition are committed to fulfilling their promise to improve the situation with teachers’ wages after elections.
It was previously reported that members of the coalition proposed giving teachers a 40 hour workload starting with 1 January 2023. This includes overtime and increase of the lowest rate wage from EUR 900 to EUR 1 200.
One of the trade union’s demands is giving teachers a balanced workload. The trade union is unhappy with the ministry’s proposal, which allows for balancing the workload by 2028. According to the trade union, the ministry’s proposed process is too long, which is something Latvia cannot afford with existing problems.
The other demand is for the government to comply with the schedule listed in the Education Law regarding the increase of teachers’ wages.
According to provisional data regarding the number of potential participants of the indefinite strike, Vanaga said 23 601 education workers from 815 education institutions have signed up to participate.