Estonia's Minister of Education and Research Kristina Karas (Eesti 200) has proposed a pay increase for teachers this year, but the amount will be smaller than what educators are seeking to end their strike. This will require an additional 5.7 million euros, which the Eesti 200 and SDE ministers have agreed will be financed using funds from their respective ministries.
Speaking on the ETV program “Television”, the Minister of Education said that he presented a proposal for this to Prime Minister (Reform) Kaja Kalas on Friday and that work was carried out over the weekend to find financial resources to support the move. on monday.
“Eesti 200 and the Minister of SDE have found financial support for this compromise. It is not 10.8 million euros. What we would like to propose to teachers on this occasion is that the average salary of teachers can be kept the same “The ratio to the average salary in Estonia is the same as last year. In other words, teachers do not lose purchasing power. To do this, we need 5.7 million euros,” says Kristina Kalas. Ta.
Currently, the minimum wage for teachers is 1,803 euros per month. The Education Minister's new proposal would mean an increase to 1,820 euros per month. “Although it is not a significant increase, it is important that the average salary of teachers does not fall compared to the average salary in Estonia. “This is an increase in average salaries across the board,” said Cristina Karas.
The Education Minister also presented the proposal to teachers' representatives on Monday night, as ministers agreed that the finances were in place to implement it.
The Estonian Educational Staff Union (EHL) has promised a board meeting on Tuesday morning, and Karas hopes the strike will be called off today.
To free up funds, all Eesti 200 and SDE ministers have agreed to reduce operating subsidies for their respective ministries, Karas said.
Cristina Callas said on TV that there were currently no cuts expected to be made to the Reform Party cabinet, as the East 200 and the Social Democratic Party (SDE) had a total of six ministers.
“We are currently reducing the administrative grants of six ministries in order to raise €5.7 million. The cuts relate to the ministry's own work, including the salaries of ministerial staff, administrative costs of the ministries, and operational costs. “We need funding that is specific and not sectoral,” Karas explained, adding that there would probably be no opposition from the Reform Party if funding could be found to cover the proposal.
The government had previously set the minimum monthly salary for teachers at 1,803 euros in 2024, with the difference increasing from 17% to 20%. This means that the average monthly salary for a teacher in 2024 will be her 2,164 euros. However, the teachers did not accept this and began an indefinite strike from January 22nd.
The agreement currently proposed by the Education Minister would increase the minimum wage by 4.1% to 1,820 euros per month, while the average teacher wage would rise to 6.6% (2,184 euros). Teacher salaries therefore remain at 112 percent of the Estonian national average, the ministry said in a press statement.
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