A total of 2,000 teachers from 150 schools have joined the second edition of the so-called 'gradual strike' on Wednesday, according to the Slovak Teachers' Initiative. There are almost 6,600 schools of all kinds and over 71,000 teachers in Slovakia. Last week one lesson was dropped from the schedule by the unhappy teachers, this week two lessons were dropped and the teachers plan to skip three lessons next Thursday if their requirements are not fulfilled.
The Teachers' Initiative demands a reassessment of education available for teachers, a hike in their salaries by €140 per month in 2016 and by an additional €90 as of 2017. Moreover, teachers are asking for increases in the Education and the Interior Ministries' annual budgets totalling €400 million. Through this, the initiative aims to eliminate differences with respect to school equipment.
This is the second teacher strike this year. The first one lasted six weeks in January and February. At that time, teachers asked for their salaries to be increased in order to reach at least 80% of the salaries received by other people with university education by the end of 2020. After the general election in March, the Education ministry approved a 6% hike as of this September and promised another 6% increase in teachers' salaries each January until 2020. According to the teachers, these hikes are not sufficient to make the job of a teacher more attractive.
Before the start of the current gradual strike, Education Minister Peter Plavčan ignored the teachers' voices by pointing to approved hikes. This Wednesday, after the government's session, he repeated that teacher salaries will grow next year, and he also said he will ask for an increase in the budget of his ministry. However, the minister did not provide any numbers because, as he said, the negotiations haven't finished.
