Teachers demand 25 percent pay raise – Pupils get a lesson in staging a strike

Elementary school “Partenie Zografski” in Skopje’s Kisela Voda prolonged the pupils’ summer break yesterday. Their parents were notified that professors and teachers would be involved in the warning strikes of educators, so teaching lessons would start today. Just fifty meters further, the high schoolers came to the Vasil Antevski-Dren high school on their first school day of the new school year. Pupils came there to open the season, meet old classmates, and those that are starting their first year of high school to meet new friends.
The warning strike by the Trade Union of Education, Science and Culture (SONK)), scheduled on September 1st, was in a chaotic mood. No one knew where the strike will be staged, where teachers will perform their duties regularly, how many children were enrolled in the schools, and how many were vaccinated, a condition after the declared epidemic. There were even shows for first graders.
The head of SONK Jakim Nedelkov says they received support from all union units across the country.

Nedelkov: The strike was successful

“The decision of the Trade Union for Education, Science and Culture (SONK) to organize on Monday a warning strike in all elementary and high schools is implemented in all regions where there are trade unionists, and they are found in every municipality”, SONK’s president Jakim Nedelkov said adding that he was satisfied with the strike.
Sources tell us that even those who aren’t members of the SONK are joining the strike and I thank them for their solidarity with our organization, Nedelkov noted.
He visited on Monday a school in Skopje’s Lisiche where teachers are present at work but hold no activities except for welcoming first graders.
Nedelkov pointed out that to their knowledge, there had been no pressure exerted to halt the strike.
Regarding SONK’s demand for a 25% pay rise, as opposed to the position of the Education Ministry that teacher’s salary rose by 10.8% in a year, Nedelkov said that was the main stumbling block to reaching an agreement. The union believes that the increase of about one thousand denars to an average salary of 21,000 denars is a small amount, so they demand that their personal income be increased by 25 percent, or about five thousand denars on average.
“For months now, we haven’t received a concrete offer of how much and when from. I think in September cards will already be on the table because the clock is ticking. By the end of September we must find a mutually acceptable solution regarding the issue of pay rise,” he noted. “If a solution is found, classes will continue as usual, but if not, SONK would hold a meeting over the negotiations at the start of October and reach a decision accordingly”.
Minister of Education and Science Arber Ademi said he didn’t know the exact number of schools on strike, but the new school year had started as usual in many of them.
We have a constructive dialogue with SONK and we’ll maintain it, Education Minister Arber Ademi said on Monday at a visit to a school in Skopje’s Novo Lisiche.
We’ll go through all data and arguments together with the trade union, and decide together as partners over future pay rise for the teachers, Ademi said.
He added that he respected trade unions’ activities and the decisions made by SONK, but as an Education Minister who is directly involved in policies for creating a better national education system, it was his duty to urge pupils and teachers to be present at the first school day, he said wishing a successful school year.
“I have no information on how many schools are on strike yet, but I know that in a good part of them, the first school day continues as usual,” he said adding that he expected it would continue so.
The Minister reiterated that there was no reason for strike as the government was already working on improving the position and working conditions of teachers, and mentioning that teacher’s salary rose by 10.8% in September 2019, compared to August 2018 after two pay increases.
“This school year is different, this time we have a new law on elementary education,” he continued. “We have a new law on teachers and expert workers, which was missing in the country. We have a second pay rise for additional 5 %.
In addition, Ademi mentioned that the 2019 budget for elementary and high school education was increased compared to 2017, as well as that vocational high school education has been fully reformed.
Asked about SONK’s statement that Monday’s warning strike could turn into a general strike in October unless there was a mutually acceptable solution to their demand for a 25% pay rise, Ademi said he didn’t expect that to happen because things were moving in a good direction.

Zabrchanec: Why do children have to fall victim?

The other associates of the Prime Minister Zoran Zaev agree. Marjan Zabrchanec, who is part of the government’s Communications Service, asked yesterday what the reason was for the strike, when there was constant pay raise.

“In September 2018, teachers received a 5 percent pay raise. In September 2019, a new increase of 5% or total pay raise of 10.8% is activated compared to a year ago. Government and SONK discuss new increases in 2020. What is the reason for the pay raise strike? Why do children have to fall victim when there is pay raise in education?” asked Zabrchanec.
The public question was answered by Simona Petkovska – Ilieska, philosophy professor and teacher of Ethics and Civic Education at the elementary school. “Vlado Tasevski” in the municipality of Karposh. She acknowledges that in a situation of extremely divided union membership, when many teachers are not part of the only representative union, the teachers strike is just a farce. According to her, SONK has never honestly represented the interests of teachers and has always, at the last moment, been able to “cut a deal” with the government (no matter which party was in power) on alleged dignified treatment of teachers.
“Thus, all previous strikes failed with a deal that the teachers knew nothing about. With this president, SONK has no credibility and that’s a fact. Hence the teachers’ great disappointment with this union, to the point of completely passivizing and letting things roll on their own. As an education worker concerned about the future of this, perhaps the most important issue for the future of this country, I am particularly intrigued by the position of Government Spokesman Marijan Zabrcanec.
While wondering whether I was reading Protoger a few years ago or that young civil rights fighter, I would like to give him an answer. Mr. Zabrchanec, children will not fall victim if they see their professors fighting for their rights and learning more about themselves, democracy and civic activism than ever in a classroom lecture. Please take over my classes tomorrow, of course, my monthly salary of barely 23,000 denars, and enter my classroom for Civic Education or maybe Ethics, whichever you prefer. I would like you to feel dignified and to explain to my very smart pupils the right to strike which is guaranteed under the Constitution, and so powerful and important that no one should dare to take it away. Try to teach them the importance and power of trade unionism in the fight for workers’ rights”, explains Professor Petkovska – Ilieska, among other things, pointing out that all governments have so far destroyed education with a degree of unrecognition, although it should have been a priority.
The education workers we interviewed say their salaries are well below the state average, and their responsibilities are extremely serious and responsible as they nurture the country’s future.
“The starting salary of teachers is around 20,000 denars and to get it you need to have a minimum of 20 hours per week. Based on seniority, the salary increases, so those who are pre-retired can reach 25,000 denars. If you have fewer hours, your salary can be six thousand denars. Many believe that our only task is to sit in the classroom, spend five hours a day, and then go to winter. In summer we have two months rest and in winter one. But, of course, obligations do not end when classes are over. In addition to the regular schedule, we also fill in the electronic diary on a daily basis, explaining in detail what we did. We are preparing for classes, reviewing written assignments… Summer break is from July 5th to August 15th and ten days during winter. At the same time, the working conditions are far from ideal, sometimes we have to pay for printing tests or other school supplies on our own”, teachers complain.
They admit that there is a strong political affiliation among them, it is no secret that each government employs its own staff in schools. Municipalities dictate primary school employment, while high schools are under the authority of the Ministry of Education and Science.

MES: Percentage of vaccinated children significantly increased

The Ministry of Education and Science has no data so far on whether there are unregistered students due to inappropriate MDP vaccine and will receive them this month through the State Education Inspectorate. Minister Arber Ademi said the percentage of children vaccinated for measles protection had increased significantly and said the MoES would monitor the situation in coordination with the Ministry of Health.
“The State Education Inspectorate has competencies because schools will provide information that children are not enrolled and should be. We will get all data on enrolled children this month, and we have agreed with the Minister of Health to have field vaccinations in the schools themselves to increase the coverage of vaccinated children, “Ademi said.
Following the spread of the contagion in the last school year, which was declared a nationwide epidemic in mid-April, it was decided that kindergartens and schools would only accept and enroll children with vaccine cards.
The Ministry of Health said last Monday that the nationwide MDP vaccine was 98 percent. In Skopje 99% and in the rest of the country 97%. Since the beginning of the epidemic, there have been 1,893 cases of measles across the country, which is the highest number in the past 20 years, according to the Ministry of Health.

Goran Adamovski