The proposal of the representatives of the national team unions is to hold a big protest in Belgrade on November 1st and start it like that "Strike Series" during November.
The demands of the trade union are the urgent continuation of talks regarding the observance of the signed protocol with the Government of Serbia, the beginning of negotiations on the price of labor in 2025 and the beginning of negotiations on amendments and additions to the special collective agreement for employees in primary and secondary schools, as well as in student dormitories.
"We are continuing further actions." We will not stop until the demands are met", it was highlighted in the statement signed by the Union of Education Workers Union of Serbia, the Education Union of Serbia, the Branch Union of Education Workers of Serbia Nezavisnost and the Education Workers Union of Serbia.
Since the beginning of this school year, educational unions have already organized two protests and work stoppages in schools, after, as they claim, the Government did not fulfill its promise from the signed protocol and equalize the salaries of educators with the national average.
The main demand of the four representative trade unions is that the starting salary of teachers, which now amounts to 86.681 dinars (740 euros), equals the average salary at the national level (818 euros).
The Government of Serbia previously announced that from January 1, 2025, the salaries of employees in education will be increased by 12 percent, while the salary increase for non-teaching staff would amount to eight percent, which is unacceptable for education unions.
"White Strike"
Members of the Independent Union of Serbian Educators announced on October 14 that they are starting a so-called "white strike", which means that all students will only receive "excellent 5" grades.
That five, if the demands of the white strike are not adopted even by the end of the semester, will be the basis for concluding the "excellent 5" grades, regardless of all other grades that will be given according to objective criteria, in the usual ways.
The president of NSPRS, Dušan Kokot, previously told "Vreme" that they submitted three demands to the state back in December 2022, when the students escaped the teachers' chair in Trstenik.
"Therefore, the amendment of the Criminal Code should protect us from adults, not from children." Second, there must be the possibility of suspending the student from the class. He can urinate in class, the law does not allow you to remove him. And thirdly, educational inspections cannot act on anonymous reports. Because of this, teachers work under incredible pressure. All this does not require a single dinar, only political will", said Kokot.
He assessed that unfortunately "we have not learned anything" from the tragedy in "Ribinikar" and that the sea system is fundamentally changing.
"Look what we got by changing the Criminal Code?" The state used the opportunity to do a lot of evil things, and supposedly the law is being changed because of educators," Kokot said.
