Estonian parlt committee: Teachers, ministry motivated to reach agreement

TALLINN - Heljo Pikhof, chair of the cultural affairs committee of the Estonian parliament, said that the committee received confirmation on Monday that the minister of education and research and the Estonian Education Personnel Union are motivated to find a solution for increasing teachers' salaries and reaching an agreement.

"It is in all of our interests for the state and education workers to reach an agreement without a strike. We saw during the sitting that there is a desire to reach an agreement," Pikhof said. "The teaching profession must be valued and sustainable, but every effort must be made to achieve this without a strike, as the interruption of schoolwork would greatly impact children's education. With an indefinite strike, we cannot even foresee how it will affect students' educational paths and the overall level of education in Estonia."

Deputy chairman of the committee Tonis Lukas said that the impact of a strike is multifaceted and would cause a lot of confusion, which is why it is important to try to prevent it. 

"A strike would affect families, especially if it lasts until kindergarten teachers also go on strike," Lukas pointed out, emphasizing the need to take teachers' demands seriously. Lukas mentioned that teachers have shown flexibility in their demands, and it is possible to prevent a strike by taking their requests seriously. He stressed the need to address changes in teachers' workload and career models, some of which do not require additional funding.

Minister of Education and Research Kristina Kallas stated her desire to start negotiations to reach an agreement for a long-term education contract. 

"This year, teachers' total salary fund increased by 5.7 percent, and I will continue efforts to increase wage growth. My goal is for teachers' salaries to reach 120 percent of the national average by 2027. To achieve this, we need to start negotiations, which should also include agreements on creating career models for teachers and the reorganization of the school network. I brought this discussion to the coalition council today," said Kallas.

Reemo Voltri, head of the Education Personnel Union, said that the strike can still be avoided or interrupted if education workers are assured that the planned increase in the minimum wage for the coming years is in place in a collective agreement and cannot be changed unilaterally. He noted that promises alone are not enough, but there are seven days for finding the necessary additional funds for a salary increase and reaching an agreement should not be insurmountable.

Voltri pointed out that the goal is to ensure that teachers have confidence and that the teaching profession is valued. During the cultural affairs committee's sitting, it was emphasized that attention should also be paid to teachers' working conditions and career models. Kallas also welcomed the strike raising the issue of career models. Voltri expressed confidence that a reasonable agreement can be reached regarding the said matter.

According to the Estonian Education Personnel Union, an indefinite teachers' strike will begin on Jan. 22. The union's demand is to raise the minimum wage for teachers to 1,950 euros this year. Negotiations between the union and the Ministry of Education and Research resumed last Thursday.