The long-term ignoring of the demands of teachers and professional organisations for adequate financing of education is the reason why the Slovak Teachers Initiative (ISU) decided to announce a strike alert on Monday. Disgruntled teachers are warning the Government and Parliament that if they don't offer specific legislative measures by January 25 to meet their demands within the current electoral period, teachers will go on full strike on that day. "This means that the pedagogical and professional employees of kindergartens, primary and secondary schools and school facilities who agree with our demands will stop carrying out their work on that day", said Viktor Križo a leader of the Slovak Teachers Initiative adding that this step is a logical continuation of teachers' protests aimed at improving their position and an adequate financing of education since 2012.
Their requirements are the same as those that the Slovak Teachers Chamber (SKU) addressed to the Government in October. They demanded salary increases for all teaching and professional employees in regional education facilities of €140 per month this year and €90 per month at the beginning of 2017. Teachers also demanded that the budgets of the Education, Science, Research and Sport Ministry and the Interior Ministry for 2016 should be increased by €400 million in order to tackle current differences in school facilities. The Slovak Teachers Initiative called on the Trade Union of Slovak Education and Science Workers to join but it refused. "The union can't bar its members from exercising their constitutional rights, but in the current situation it recommends that they should consider the effectiveness of their involvement in the said activities", Trade Union of Slovak Education and Science Workers chairman Pavel Ondek said on Monday. His organisation will hold a meeting with Education Ministry Juraj Draxler, where it will seek proposals for tackling issues in regional and university education. It also wants to draw attention to negotiations with political parties running for the parliamentary election on March 5. Education Minister Juraj Draxler labelled teachers strike alert as "pure political action as their pay has been increased by 20 percent in the past three years more than in the case of any other professional group".
