Teachers end gradual strike as of October 19

Dissatisfied teachers have ended their 'gradual strike' that they launched in September, said representatives of the Slovak Teachers Initiative (ISU) on Wednesday during a protest march called 'The March of Responsibility'. Around 70 teachers took part in it on a route spread between the headquarters of the Education Ministry and the Finance Ministry. The teachers wanted to point to the under-financing of the Slovak education sector. "We're positive that the gradual strike has met its purpose, but we see no scope for continuing it in the current situation," said Vladimir Crmoman of the ISU. Originally, teachers declared that the gradual strike would continue until Tuesday, October 25, when four lessons should have been dropped at some schools. The Slovak Teachers Initiative believes that it's now up to the Education and Science Employees Trade Union Association (OZPSaV) to take over the initiative and insist on the demands included in a declaration signed by school organisations in February. These requirements include a demand for an increase in teachers' salaries of 25 percent as of next January and by 10 percent annually in following years. In addition, the budgets of the ministries of education and interior should be increased by €400 million in order to make it possible to eliminate gaps in terms of the equipment available to individual schools.