BRATISLAVA, September 13, (WEBNOVINY) — During today’s nation-wide strike of teachers who demand higher salaries, most schools remained closed in counties of Bratislava, Nitra and Kosice. This is according to preliminary numbers that regional organizations reported to the educational trade unions that organize the strike. They will inform about actual participation at a news conference later this afternoon. In the three counties, more than 90 percent of primary schools and kindergartens were on strike on Thursday. In Zilina and Presov Counties, more than 87 percent of kindergartens and primary schools joined the strike. In Banska Bystrica County 85 percent of schools joined the strike, around 83 percent in Trencin and 80 percent in Trnava. The largest number of secondary schools joined the strike in Bratislava, with over 75 percent participation. In Nitra, 74 percent of secondary schools were on strike in Presov and Kosice. About one-third of universities in Slovakia participated in the strike, although the winter semester has not started yet for them.
Today’s strike is the largest in the school system since 2003, when trade union action shut schools twice. In June 2003, 90 percent of schools remained closed for a day and later in September, 60 to 70 percent of schools joined the strike in various forms. In October 2003, trade unionists eventually reached a wage increase in the public service by seven percent. For many years, Slovak teachers have been earning less than the average salary in the country. According to a survey conducted by the job portal Profesia, teachers in primary and secondary schools earn about a quarter less than the average salary in the country. In the long run, teachers want to earn at least 1.2 to 2-times the average wage in the national economy. By this strike they hope to achieve a ten percent pay rise from next year. They also hope for an improvement of the whole system of financing in education, so that the share of GDP by the end of this election term is comparable with the rest of the European Union.
SITA
