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Roundup: Lithuanian authorities in limbo amid continued teachers' strike

Xinhua, February 25, 2016 Adjust font size:

Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius said on Wednesday it is up to the ministry of science and education to find necessary funding for increase of wages for educational workers, as strike in Lithuanian schools and pre-school institutions continued this week.

"The final word is after the minister as she must foresee how to fund the wage increase; it is her (the minister's) main function," Butkevicius was quoted as saying by ELTA news agency.

The head of government was speaking after governmental meeting during which teachers' demands were discussed.

Part of Lithuania's educational workers launched an open-ended strike on Monday demanding higher salaries.

Butkevicius said he planned to sign a decree obliging Audrone Pitreniene, minister of education, to directly participate in negotiations with teachers' professional unions as the minister's opinion is crucial in order to find agreement with educational workers.

The government already promised to find additional 5 million euros to meet teachers' demands, however, professional unions were asking for 17-18 million euros earlier. On Wednesday, a new compromise has been reached, according to which all educational workers' wages should be increased by 5 percent as of September this year. In order to meet these demands, 13 million euros should be found in the budget.

However, Butkevicius noted it was Pitrieniene, the minister, who should find the final solution.

Meanwhile, the prime minister also apologized to all Lithuanian teachers on Wednesday, referring to his own remarks one day earlier when he spoke about the Russian influence on the Lithuanian teacher's trade unions.

According to him, while speaking at the Seimas, or the Lithuanian parliament, on Tuesday, he wanted to warn leaders of trade unions about potential Russian influence in the negotiations between teachers and the Ministry of Science and Education.

"If it was understood that I had accused Lithuanian educators and teachers then I must say that I have never done that as a person who respects teachers and who will always respect them," he told reporters on Wednesday, ELTA news agency reported.

"If I indeed offended teachers then today here, in front of TV news cameras, I can offer my apologies," he added.

According to the ministry of education, 190 schools and pre-school institutions staged a strike on Wednesday. It is less than one tenth of all schools.

Average full-time teacher's pre-tax monthly salary amounts to 823.4 euros in Lithuania. However, more than one third of Lithuanian teachers don't work full-time, mostly due to decreasing number of children in classrooms as the country faced serious demographic challenges. Endit