Lithuanian Education, Science and Sport Minister Gintautas Jakštas on Tuesday is meeting with trade unions’ representatives to present proposals on raising teachers’ salaries amid their looming strike.
The ministry has said the meeting will focus on trade unions’ demands, including raising teachers’ salaries and reducing class sizes and workload.
“The specific possibilities for implementation will be discussed,” it told BNS.
Jakštas said earlier this week that he would provide concrete figures on how much teachers’ salaries could rise next year.
The government says it plans to increase teachers’ salaries in two stages next year, in January and September.
The aim is to raise the average teacher salary in Lithuania to 130 percent of the country’s average wage in the early autumn of 2024.
Some teachers staged a warning strike last Friday to press their demands. The Lithuanian Education Workers’ Trade Union (LŠDPS) on Monday informed the ministry they would launch an “actual” strike at schools and other educational establishments on September 29.
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Navickas told BNS on Monday that teachers would assess the possibility of reaching a deal when they see the proposals, but he was sceptical, saying that the ministry manipulates figures.
“There isn’t much hope for agreement. They present inaccurate numbers; it’s clear they don’t want a real agreement, they just want to show an agreement to the public, and there isn’t much chance of reaching one,” he said.
The Lithuanian Education and Science Trade Union has also announced its demands, including on teachers' salaries and class sizes, and does not rule out going on strike.
On September 1, 2020, parliamentary parties’ leaders signed a national agreement, committing, among other things, to increase the share of GDP allocated to education and raise teachers’ salaries.
It was signed by the ruling Homeland Union, the Liberal Movement, the Freedom Party, as well as the Lithuanian Social Democratic Party, the Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union (LVŽS), and the Labour Party.
The opposition Democrats “For Lithuania” joined the agreement in June 2022.
The LVŽS announced its withdrawal from the agreement last week, and the Labour Party plans to decide on this matter this week.
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