logo

Teachers’ demands will be examined by social dialogue partners


https://www.ipn.md/en/teachers-demands-will-be-examined-by-social-dialogue-partners-7967_971618.html

Talks with education trade unionists and teachers over salary rises were opened in July and have not been suspended, said First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Trade Igor Dodon, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. Dodon said that he and other members of the Cabinet were receptive to protesters’ demands and discussed with their delegates every time they asked. “There was a pause in the talks caused by the floods, but the talks will continue, including at the tripartite government-employers-trade unions meeting that I chair and that will take place at the beginning of the next week,” Dodon said. Education trade unionists and teachers had protested in front of the Government building for a week, as from September 1. They demanded that teachers’ salaries are raised by 600 lei from September 1 and by another 900 lei from January 1, 2009. By July 2009, the salaries in education should be equal to the minimum subsistence level. It was earlier announced that teachers from all over the country will stage a protest rally on September 17, but the protest was postponed for September 25. It is expected that budget-paid employees from other sectors of the economy will also join the rally. On September 12, Nicolae Suruceanu, the secretary of the National Confederation of Trade Unions of Moldova, told Info-Prim Neo that the protest was put off because at least ten days were needed to negotiate the rise in the salaries of other people working in the budgetary sphere. He said that talks with First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Dodon over salary rises were to take place on September 15. On the other hand, Deputy Prime Minister Victor Stepaniuc said that “no country in the world increases salaries by 40% in a year – look at Italy, Germany, Sweden – rises of 4%, 6% or 8% not more.” “Of course, it is not fair to tell the teachers to wait because we now deal with the problems of the flood victims. But it is also not fair to tell the pensioners, the youth, workers and farmers to wait. We all must wait. Not exactly wait but work. We must make concerted effort to improve the situation,” he stated.