Teachers will no longer be unemployed during summer holidays

Teachers should no longer be forced to sign on as unemployed citizens during the summer holidays, with a new amending proposal to the Labour Code to this effect being passed by legislators in Parliament on Tuesday. The legislation stipulates the minimum period for which an employee in education can sign a contract for a definite time period. This will be for one school year, with the period ending on August 31 of the following year. This won't apply to foreign instructors or to teachers hired to stand in for their colleagues. The Labour, Social Affairs and the Family Ministry first pointed to the issue in October, citing statistics provided by labour offices. It was noted that schools hire teachers for a period of only ten months, forcing them to register with labour offices for the two-month summer holidays in an effort to save money. Denouncing the practice as immoral, Labour Minister Jan Richter called for a remedy, teaming up with then education minister Peter Pellegrini.