Teachers of Chisinau high school announce strike
- 23.10.2008 18:23
- 1131
- 2 minute(s)
-
The teachers of the Chisinau Theoretical Lyceum “Stephan the Great” intend to go on strike from November 10, after the autumn vacation of the students. The school’s deputy director for education Nina Horjan told Info-Prim Neo that they cannot live anymore on salaries that are under the poverty line.
Nina Horjan, who is also a teacher of Romanian, said that she speaks as a member of the teaching staff and not of the lyceum’s administration. “We will come to work, but the students will not come to lessons,” Horjan said, adding that the parents of the children will be informed about this beforehand.
Asked if the strike was coordinated with the education trade unions, the quoted source said that the president of the school’s trade union committee submitted the signatures of the teachers and a list with their demands to the trade unions.
The teachers demand that their salaries are raised, the minimum salary in education is 1,400 lei and that the young specialists are helped to obtain dwellings.
“The teachers have been too tolerant. The 17% rise in salaries promised by the Government is derisory as this means by 30-40 lei more. Only three or four teachers of our school form part of the category that will benefit from rises,” Horjan said.
Sixty-five teachers work at the Theoretical Lyceum “Stephan the Great”.
During a seminar on October 22, a number of deputy directors for education said that the teaching staffs in their institutions also consider going on strike.
Early in September, about 300 members of the Education and Science Trade Union of the National Confederation of Trade Unions of Moldova picketed the Government building during several days, demanding that teachers’ salaries are increased by 600 lei from September 1 and by another 900 lei from January 1, 2009. Until July 2009, the salary in education should be equal to the minimum subsistence level.
The picketers threatened with mass protests, but gave up after the Government decided to raise the salaries of budget-paid employees, who now have the lowest salaries, by 17% on September 24. It was agreed that 118,000 employees will benefit from salary rises as from October 1.
