Prague, Feb 2 (CTK) – The Czech and Moravian Trade Union of Workers in Education (COSPS) demands that the salaries of the teaching and non-teaching staff in the educational sector be raised by at least 10 percent in 2017, COSPS head Frantisek Dobsik told journalists on Tuesday.
The pay rise would cost some eight billion crowns, Dobsik said, adding that the trade union wanted to send a letter to this effect to Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka (Social Democrats, CSSD), Education Minister Katerina Valachova (CSSD) and Finance Minister Andrej Babis (ANO).
The growing salaries in the educational sector should become the fourth priority of the Education Ministry and the government as a whole, the trade union said.
Thanks to the demanded at least 10-percent rise, the objective of teachers being paid 130 percent of the average salary would be almost met, Dobsik said.
Teachers’ salary is to be raised by 2,000 crowns to 23,000 crowns a month. When it comes to the most experienced teachers, their starting salary should be increased by about 3,000 crowns to 30,000 crowns, Dobsik said.
Valachova has repeatedly said she would support teachers’ pay rise.
In the past two years, the salaries of the educational staff were increased like those of the other state employees.
However, the figures for the first nine months of the past year were alarming, Dobsik said.
“In the whole state sector, the salaries were raised by 3.5 percent, while those of teachers by 2.8 percent,” he added.
Thanks to a recent reform, the salaries of the longest-serving teachers with over 32 years of practice increased by 1,590 crowns to 27,490 crowns.
The base pay of new teachers rose from 21,000 to 21,530 crowns.
