“I don’t want to question or in any way look at the numbers that Mr. Navick is putting out because, from what I know, when the school leaders asked for specific information about which teachers were on strike so that they could make organizational changes and teach those first two classes maybe other teachers or other decisions would have been made in the schools, it was refused to do so, reasoning that the trade union is not obliged to do so”, the Head of the Government told Žiniai Radio on Thursday.
“I would rather guess that the number that Mr. Navick is declaring is more about the number of his union members than the actual number of teachers who would actually be on strike,” she argued.
The Prime Minister said that she believes that the majority of teachers fully understand that it is impossible to change the budget significantly in the middle of the year.
“No one has the ability to open the budget and somehow now solve the issues and fulfill the requirements related to the salary from September 1, as is required by Mr. Navick. It simply cannot be done. The whole discussion is about the 2024 budget,” she emphasized.
According to I.Šimonytė, next week the Minister of Education, Science and Sports Gintautas Jakštas plans to meet with representatives of all education trade unions and present the Government’s opportunities to implement the commitment of the national education agreement and the Government’s commitment to raise the average salary of pedagogues to 130% from next September. average national wage.
“It’s about 20 percent. wage growth. Considering that the planned wage growth in the economy next year is 6.5 percent, 20 percent. is not just more, but sometimes more than the average wage growth in the economy. But the agreement needs to be implemented and we will implement it”, said I.Šimonytė.
According to her, next year there is no possibility to raise salaries for teachers in one go from January 1st, so this increase is planned to be divided into two parts.
According to the Prime Minister, this is done when calculating the 2025 budget.
“Here we are talking about amounts close to 300 million. additional euros, which means that it is necessary to calibrate those steps very well so that it is not an unbearable burden for the future Government, which will approve the 2025 budget,” she said.
Demanding an increase in teachers’ salaries from September this year, the trade union of Lithuanian education workers is organizing a warning strike of teachers.
According to the data of the chairman of this trade union, Andriaus Navickos, 228 educational institutions and about 5,000 of their employees are planning to strike.
It is demanded that salaries be increased by 20% from September, another 30% from January of next year, the number of students in classes should be reduced, etc.
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**Interview with Prime Minister I. Šimonytė on Teacher Strikes and Salary Growth**
*Interviewer:* Thank you for joining us today, Prime Minister Šimonytė. Recently, you spoke on Žiniai Radio regarding the ongoing teachers’ strike and the numbers presented by Mr. Navick. Can you clarify your concerns about those figures?
*Prime Minister Šimonytė:* Thank you for having me. My main concern is that the numbers Mr. Navick is sharing may not accurately reflect the actual number of teachers striking, but rather represent the membership count of his union. When school leaders requested specific information about the striking teachers to make necessary adjustments, that information was not provided, citing that the union is not obliged to do so.
*Interviewer:* You mentioned the challenges of altering the budget mid-year. Can you elaborate on why this is a significant issue in relation to the strike?
*Prime Minister Šimonytė:* Certainly. The reality is that we cannot make substantial changes to the budget at this point in the year. The discussions revolve around the 2024 budget, and we need to manage our expectations regarding immediate salary increases. The demands from Mr. Navick for changes to be implemented by September 1 simply cannot be met under the current financial constraints.
*Interviewer:* However, there is an upcoming meeting between Minister Gintautas Jakštas and education trade unions. What is the focus of that meeting?
*Prime Minister Šimonytė:* Yes, the Minister plans to discuss our government’s commitment to implementing the national education agreement. This includes raising the average salary of teachers to 130% of the national average wage by next September. We’re talking about a significant wage growth of about 20%, which is far above the projected 6.5% average growth in the economy for next year. We are committed to fulfilling this agreement, but it requires cooperation and understanding from all sides.
*Interviewer:* What is your message to the teachers and the unions involved?
*Prime Minister Šimonytė:* My message is that we understand the challenges and frustrations they are facing. We are working towards a sustainable solution that honors our commitments while also recognizing the economic realities. I believe most teachers understand the complexity of the budget situation, and I hope they will engage with us constructively as we move forward.
*Interviewer:* Thank you, Prime Minister Šimonytė, for sharing your insights today.
*Prime Minister Šimonytė:* Thank you for having me.
