At a meeting with representatives of the education and pre-school education trade unions, the Government of Serbia offered salary increase of 11 percent to all employees in education from January 1, 2025, it was announced on Tuesday from the Prime Minister's Office.
As explained, it is the final offer of the Government and it applies to everyone employed in the system of preschool, primary, secondary and higher education.
Đukić Dejanović: The offer for educators is final
In addition to the salary increase, the announcement states that everyone, except for employees in higher education institutions, will receive a one-time cash payment in the amount of 9 dinars (about 2025 euros) by January 15.000, 130, as well as that the class teacher's fee of 1 .in January be additionally increased by one percent.
Also, changes were offered to the Collective Agreement and, what is particularly important, to the Law on the Basics of the Education System, according to which rights should be returned to teachers.
The unions do not accept the offer
However, the unions considered this offer "unworthy" of the profession they perform and announced that they are continuing with the planned union actions.
The spokeswoman of the Union of Educational Workers of Serbia (USPRS), Mirjana Gašić (RSE), tells "Vreme" that although this is a breakthrough in the negotiations, they are not satisfied with the offer.
On Friday, November 1, representative educational unions will suspend work in Serbian schools and organize a protest in Belgrade.
"On Friday, we will start a total work stoppage. On Monday, schools in Belgrade and surrounding cities will start with shortened classes. In the second week, it will be schools in Vojvodina, in the third in Western Serbia, and in the fourth in Southern Serbia," says Gašić.
She adds that much further steps will be dictated by the number of colleagues who will protest on Friday.
"If it turns out that the force is great, maybe the negotiations will go in a different direction," says Gašić.
The trade unions demand that the government fulfills the agreed terms of the Protocol that they signed with the Government in October last year, among which is the equalization of the starting salary of teachers in schools with the average salary at the national level.
Late amendments to the Criminal Code
Among the key demands of educators is the improvement of safety in schools.
The agreement in principle between the union of education employees and the Government on the introduction of stricter measures for attacks on teachers was reached after the May 16 protest. Serbian Prime Minister Miloš Vučević said in June that amendments to the Criminal Code, which relate to employees in education, will be adopted by the end of the year.
Dissatisfied with the dynamics of changes in the law, more than 10.000 teachers in primary and secondary schools in Serbia are implementing "white strike", that is, all students are given only "excellent 5" grades, according to data from the Independent Union of Educational Workers of Serbia.
