He said this on Wednesday when the Government was preparing to consider the revised draft budget for next year, and then it should return to the Seimas.
“We expect a favorable decision from the Seimas, a fair vote, which is why we are traveling to the Seimas today,” A. Navickas told LRT radio on Wednesday.
In the next year’s budget, the government proposes to provide for the growth of teachers’ wages in two stages: from January – 10 percent, and a similar proportion from September – so that the average teacher’s salary reaches 130 percent. average national wage. In the next year’s budget, over 387 million will be additionally allocated for the implementation of the education agreement. euros.
LŠDPS itself does not agree with such a salary increase for teachers and offers a compromise proposal – to increase the salary of teachers twice by 15 percent each. ŠMSM repeats that there is no need to increase salaries.
“We believe that the change will not really be big, because GDP itself is growing, there is inflation, other things are going faster than teachers’ salaries. Therefore, we think that if we honestly want to implement the agreements that were agreed upon by both the parties and the previous government after the 2018 strikes, then we must consider and listen to the teachers and accept our proposals,” said A. Navickas.
In turn, the Minister of Education Gintautas Jakštas repeated to the radio that when raising wages next year in two stages, inflation and average wage growth will be taken into account, and if additional funds are needed to raise teachers’ wages, the budget will be revised.
According to the current forecasts of the Ministry of Finance, the average wage in the country will grow by 6.5 percent.
“We hope that before the September increase, we will be able to more objectively and accurately assess how the country’s average wage is growing, and if the forecasts that are published now are inaccurate and the average wage will grow much faster than predicted, the second increase can be higher,” he said. G. Jakštas.
The minister says that the strike is a “form of democratic expression”, but says that the students themselves, the education community, will suffer as a result.
He hopes that the Seimas will either approve the government’s salary increase plan during the further consideration of the budget, or provide sustainable funding for it in order to meet the greater demands of the educated people.
“I expect common sense from the parliament: either sustainable finances will be found for an even greater increase in teachers’ salaries – if they are found, then of course we will implement the decision of the parliament – or to confirm that the government has already allocated the maximum amount for education according to the state’s capabilities and that amount is being implemented all agreements both with trade unions and those adopted at the national level”, he said.
LŠDPS, which renewed the strike on Wednesday, is also organizing a rally in front of the Seimas.
A, Navickas claims that he intends to participate in the strike within 3 thousand. teachers, over 200 educational institutions. At that time, he expects about 3-5 thousand people to come to the meeting. teachers.
“We really invited the members of the Seimas to come to the rally today, communicate with the teachers, listen to them and vote, perhaps not as the party leaders tell them, but to vote according to their conscience (…), listening to and representing the teachers and society,” he asserted.
Navick also says the union is willing to compromise on other issues, such as reducing class size, which could take “five to 10 years” starting with the first grades.
“But no one wants to hear, no one needs compromises. I understand that there is basically opposition to this idea”, asserted the head of LŠDPS.
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2024-08-15 20:22:56
