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Slovak teachers start "unlimited strike"

Xinhua, January 26, 2016 Adjust font size:

Slovak teachers started "unlimited, full-pledged" strike on Monday, with an estimated 2,000 plus teachers from all over the country gathering in Bratislava to protest what they see as the long-term ignoring of their demands.

According to Vladimir Crmoman from the Slovak Teachers Initiative (ISU), teachers are now in an open war. "We have our weapons. Our biggest weapon is that we stick together," said Crmoman.

ISU demands increases in the salaries of all teachers and other professional employees in regional education by 140 euro per month as of 2016 and by an additional 90 euro as of 2017. It also demands an increase in the budget amount reserved for education.

Dissatisfied teachers were unable to resolve their issues with Slovak Education, Science, Research and Sport Minister Juraj Draxler on Thursday last week.

Prime Minister Robert Fico annoyed them with his statement that the situation can't be addressed until the general election is over.

Fico added that the Slovak Government raised teachers´ salaries by almost 50 percent during both of his terms in Office.

As many as 11,500 teachers from 728 schools in Slovakia have signed up for the unlimited full-fledged strike.

According to the Slovak Education, Science, Research and Sport Ministry's statistics, there are nearly 6,000 pre-schools, primary and secondary schools with around 89,000 teachers in Slovakia. Endit