While students in all university centers have been blocking the faculties for four months, their professors - who have supported them from the very beginning protest - they were left without a significant part of their February salary. In the decision of the Government of Serbia to reduce teachers' salaries, many things are disputed, among other things, the fact that there are no classes because the students are physical block it higher education institutions - and not because the professors don't want to teach, Dunja Marić writes for The new economy.
For four months now, students have been physically blocking the faculties, which means that no one can enter the building without a valid index.
Classes were also suspended, so the professors were unable to perform this part of their work.
After the salaries of school teachers were reduced, it was the turn of university professors to be sanctioned.
According to them, they received only 12,5 percent of the salary, because the Government in its resignation passed a decree that changes the way in which the salaries of professors and associates at all higher education institutions are calculated.
By that decree, the time allotted for carrying out scientific and research work was reduced, and the number of working hours intended for teaching was increased. In the future, scientific work in the salary calculation will make up 12,5 and teaching work will make up 87,5 percent of the salary.
The first to announce that university professors will be punished was the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, who said that instead of salaries, "they will receive potatoes".
These changes, not only because the professors are prevented from teaching, have no legal basis, said attorney Danijel Dinčić for New Economy.
"There is no fault of the professors here, bearing in mind that they are not working because the students are in a blockade, they did not suspend their work on their own. It is especially controversial that even the non-teaching staff did not receive their salaries here," says Dinčić.
The interlocutor of New Economy actually sees this as "pure punishment" for supporting students.
Mario Reljanović, an expert in labor law and president of the Center for Decent Work, also says that this decision of the Government is not founded.
"This is how little Perica imagines the law. This Government decree cannot be applied in practice, it is contrary to the Law on Higher Education. Just not paying a part of the salary is illegal. I can assume that the intention was to pay something symbolic, but they realized that teaching only makes up half of the salary, and they saw this decree as an 'elegant' solution and a way to pay less. This is their logic, that no classes were held, so there is no salary," says Reljanović.
It is interesting, Reljanović points out, that the accreditation stipulates that the ratio of teaching and scientific-research activities at the faculties must be equal. That is why he believes that this regulation is only short-term, that is, that it will be changed and returned to the old way very soon.
"This is not legal, nor is it normal. Their behavior shows that they have no feeling for the demands of the students, because their three demands relate to the rule of law. This decision is illegal, but the government believes that no one can do anything to them just because they are in power, and that is precisely why the students are protesting, because of the collapsed legal system. The fact that the professors supported the students has nothing to do, because the holding of classes is certainly impossible," concluded Reljanović.
By the way, deans, professors, assistants and other employees at the University of Belgrade submitted to the Constitutional Court an initiative for the evaluation of the constitutionality and legality of the decree which changes the ratio of the share of teaching and scientific work in salary. The initiative was signed by 470 professors, associates and members of the university staff.
Also, it is disputed that the new regulation was passed by the government whose president Miloš Vučević has resigned, as Nova ekonomija already wrote about.
Dean Jovanović: Salary reduction is a direct pressure
Natalija Jovanović, dean of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš, tells Nova Ekonomija that they have not received an explanation from the Ministry of Education about why professors' salaries have been reduced, but that they see this as direct pressure.
"I am sure that this decision was made on the basis of the arbitrariness of one man, who in this country is the president and the prosecutor and the judge and the director of the school and the president of the peasant cooperative. It is a direct pressure to destroy the state university," says Jovanović.
As Dean Jovanović explains, until now, according to accreditation, the professor's working time is 40 hours - of which 20 hours are scientific and research work and 20 hours are teaching, but now this ratio has been reduced.
"Teaching also includes preparation, consultation, program and textbook innovations, but in addition, we also deal with scientific work - this is an important part of the work, which allows professors to progress in their profession. We write scientific papers, review other people's papers... And since the beginning of the suspension, all professors have been at their workplaces, they were available and available to students, we had a large number of workshops, lectures and panels that are narrowly specialized, and we still have them," says Jovanović.
The dean emphasizes that despite this, professors continue to support students.
"The teaching-scientific council of the Faculty of Philosophy in Niš voted in full support for the students. 85 percent of the council members voted for it," says Jovanović.
On the other hand, the professor of the Faculty of Philosophy, Vladimir Vuletić, tells Nova Ekonomija that he is dissatisfied with the fact that four months after the beginning of the blockades, the public's attention is focused on the fact that professors have not received their salaries, when, as he says, there are more important issues for him.
"No one asked tens of thousands of students if they wanted to be in the blockade. Faculties do not exist because of professors, but because of students, so I am interested in only one question, and I would only comment on one thing, and that is how classes will be normalized, to bring everything to a meaningful state," says Vuletić.
As the interlocutor of New Economy says, he "feels uncomfortable" talking about professors' salaries, when there are people who are affected more by the current situation.
"I am also affected by this, but there are people who are affected worse, those who educate their children. I also managed to have some savings, but I was recently in the village and talked to a man who works the land, his child is studying, he should soon graduate. This is very difficult for them financially, and this is not the only example, I am sure there are many more people in such a situation", concludes Vuletić.
By the way, the New Economy asked the Ministry of Education why the new regulation was passed, on what basis the teachers were paid reduced wages, and whether, after the end of the blockades, when classes are held, the teachers will be paid the remaining part of their wages. However, they did not receive any answers.
Student requirements
The blocked students demand the fulfillment of four demands.
The first request is that the institutions publish all the documentation related to the works on the reconstruction of the railway from Novi Sad to Kelebija, which also includes the reconstruction of the canopy at the railway station in Novi Sad.
The second request is the confirmation by the competent authorities of the identity of all persons who are reasonably suspected of having physically attacked students and professors, as well as the initiation of criminal proceedings against them, as well as against any person who physically attacked students and professors and all other citizens participating in peaceful civil gatherings.
The third request refers to the dismissal of criminal charges against arrested and detained students at protests, as well as the suspension of already initiated criminal proceedings.
The fourth demand is to increase the budget for higher education by 20 percent. To fulfill this request, 12,01 billion dinars were allocated from the budget reserve.
Source: New Economy
