For more than a year, educators in Serbia have been waiting for the fulfillment of the Serbian Government's promise to increase their salary. They asked for just enough to reach the national average, which was projected at 105.000 dinars. It is about that much higher salary Jorgovanka Tabakovic, a longtime governor National Bank of Serbia, recently started her third term in that position. However, there is no money in the budget for teachers.
After suspension of work On September 16, the Ministry of Education sent a letter to school principals in which precise data is requested on the number of teachers who have suspended their work, as well as that school principals are not allowed to inform parents and students about the suspension of classes, and that in that situation the principals are concerned about the safety of children.
Lists have made their home in Serbia, like those that list people who are not welcome in the country, and now other enemies of the state - teachers - have reached them.
New strike in October
They gave the government until October 2 to consider their demands once again. Otherwise, they announce a new strike and possible radicalization of protests.
Trade unions announced that over 90 percent of educational institutions suspended work or shortened classes, while Minister Slavica Đukić Dejanović claims that there were "only" 80,14 percent of them. At the protests of educators on September 16, nearly 14 people took to the streets of 7000 cities across Serbia, according to data from the Archives of Public Meetings.
While the relevant ministry intimidates and gathers "offenders", teachers repeat - we have nothing left to lose.
They were shot at., they were beaten by the students, and parents. Whenever they disobeyed direct orders, they were sent, as they said, "light cavalry" - directors and inspectors. After each incident or misunderstanding, they were punished with a reduced salary.
After the unprecedented tragedy on May 3rd in "Ribnikar", three employees of the school were punished with a two-month salary reduction in the amount of 20 percent.
Money or life
It's not just about money, of course. Teachers have long been, with reason, afraid for their safety in the workplace. That is one of their demands amendment of the Criminal Code, according to which an attack on a teacher would be treated as an attack on an official (a police officer or a lawyer, for example).
Measures for the prevention of violence in schools that have been taken so far they did not show results.
Larger ones were also introduced fines for parents, and proficiency as a numerical grade was introduced from the second grade and is included in the average.
After numerous reports of bombs in schools, the state tried to solve the problem by turning teachers into counter-saboteurs who will check the security of classrooms before and after classes.
So, for now, the responsibility for safety has been shifted to teachers, parents and children.
Not even presence police in all schools in Serbia before, during and after the end of classes, did not prevent numerous incidents after which teachers were taken to hospitals with serious physical injuries.
Solidarity remains.
The truth is, teachers have nothing left to lose but solidarity. This time they relied on her and honestly stood by their own colleagues from the non-teaching sector, with whom they share the same bread.
Support staff, cooks and waitresses, cleaners and janitors were exempted from the same increase by the Government. Although they are equally important to the system and the well-being of the children who spend most of the day with them, instead of a 12 percent increase, they were offered eight percent.
They were systemically degraded and demotivated, food and maintenance services were purposely abolished. Because of the strict rules, student kitchens have rarely survived, and catering services are hired at commercial prices.
The schools say that it is no longer known who is the teaching staff and who is the non-teaching staff, but they no longer agree to these divisions.
Dissatisfaction evident
Although the Independent Union of Educational Workers of Serbia, which is very numerous, announced that it would not participate in the suspension of work in schools on September 16, the teachers who belong to it went on a "white strike". They will not enter their grades in the electronic school diary until October 11.
With the "white strike" they tried to put pressure on the competent state authorities to finally take appropriate measures change the black reality.
By this calculation, all five existing unions have gone on strike since the beginning of the school year.
From four representative unions and one that is not, they confirmed for "Vreme" that the dissatisfaction of teachers has never been more obvious.
For the authorities, apart from remedial mathematics, the same question always remains when a systemic problem such as health or air pollution in Serbia is touched upon: if our children are examined by the same doctors, breathe the same air and go to Serbian schools, why are there other priorities?
