Estonian teachers commence indefinite strike

Estonian teachers commence indefinite strike. Photo: Elmo Riig

According to the decision made by the council of the Estonian Education Personnel Union (EHL) on December 12 last year, an open-ended strike of education workers starts on Monday, as the government has yet to fulfill prior promises concerning salary increases.

Teachers were promised a pay rise both before and immediately after the elections. The current uncertain situation has a negative impact on both motivation or job satisfaction, and it provides no certainty for the future, according to the teachers.

The strike will include pre-school education, general education and vocational education establishments, and all employees of educational institutions can participate in the strike.

In addition to demanding a pay rise from next year, the Education Personnel Union considers it extremely important to start negotiations for a collective agreement, to prevent the recurrence of a situation in the coming years that requires a work stoppage for educators to stand up for their rights. Also, in future discussions with the Ministry of Education and Research, the union intends to focus on aligning kindergarten teachers' salaries with those of general education teachers.

The Estonian Education Personnel Union is Estonia's largest representative organization and trade union for teachers and other educational workers. The union participates in negotiating agreements between educational institutions and local governments and in resolving issues related to salaries, working conditions, and so on. It also represents teachers in salary negotiations with the government.