Teachers plan warning strike as pay talks fail

Teachers in Estonia will hold a one-hour warning strike next Tuesday after negotiations and public meetings failed to bring the government closer to its promised pay targets, ERR reported, citing Reemo Voltri, chairman of the Estonian Education Employees’ Union.

The union wants the minimum salary for education workers to reach a competitive level of 2,312 euros, equal to next year’s forecast average wage. Voltri said the strike was a last resort while the state budget is still being prepared.

“Our negotiations have not progressed successfully enough. The teaching profession has found that words alone are not enough and that we are not being heard through negotiations and public meetings,” Voltri said.

He said the government had indicated that, based on the current situation, it was highly unlikely to come close to the promised target. “The teaching profession decided that we must respond quickly. We decided to respond now and immediately,” he said.

Under the law, a warning strike must be announced three days in advance and may last for up to one hour. The work stoppage is planned for 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. in kindergartens and 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. in schools.

Because collective agreements covering pay conditions for 2027 have not been concluded in Estonia, despite the union’s preference, employees at all educational institutions can join the action.

Voltri said striking teachers could not independently decide how an institution operates during the strike or instruct other employees, students, children or parents what to do. Those decisions must be made by the institution’s owner together with its head.

If it is known that most employees will strike, institutions should assess whether they can ensure the safety of children and young people. If not, it may be more appropriate to inform children and parents that the institution will open later that day, Voltri said.

Addressing cuts in other fields linked to uncertainty over defence spending, Voltri said education workers understood the need for national defence but warned that the rest of society and internal security could not be neglected.

He said education was part of internal security because a decline in education could make it easier for false theories and manipulation to spread among less educated people. Without well-qualified teachers and educated people, he added, there could also be no economic growth.