Teachers’ union seeks to preserve state school pay premium

Estonia’s Education Workers’ Union (EHL) wants state school teachers’ minimum pay to rise by at least as much as the national increase next year, ERR reported. The union and the Ministry of Education and Research will begin talks next week on a collective agreement for state general education schools.

The current agreement sets teachers’ minimum monthly pay at 2,070 euros, 100 euros above the national minimum of 1,970 euros. The national minimum is due to rise by at least 3% next year. EHL chairman Reemo Voltri said the union wants the amount in the agreement to increase by at least the same percentage.

Voltri said the union gave notice in accordance with the law, which requires at least three months’ notice if the parties do not want a fixed-term agreement to continue and become indefinite. The union hopes to agree on a multi-year deal that sets out a clear path for pay increases and avoids annual wage negotiations.

Raino Liblik, head of the state schools department at the ministry, said the request to review the agreement came from the union, not necessarily from teachers as a whole, noting that many teachers are not union members. He said the substance of any changes would be discussed in negotiations and that it was too early to say whether the state would match the national minimum increase.

Liblik said the negotiations would consider how any rise in the teachers’ minimum pay should be reflected in a future agreement. He also said he did not expect state school teachers to be left worse off than staff employed by other school operators.

The union and ministry representatives are due to meet next week at the ministry’s Tallinn office.