European Trade Union Committee for Education

On 1 September 2017, Czech and Moravian Trade Union of Workers in Education (ČMOS PŠ), ETUCE member organisation in Czech Republic, together with the Trade Union of Higher and Academic Education, education professional associations and students held for the first time a mutual protest action.

The participants of the protest asked the government of the Czech Republic to guarantee that the draft state budget for the year 2018 reflects the following demands to:

• make education a priority;increase education personnel’s salaries by 15% starting from 1 November 2017;
• rise education personnel’s wages at least by 130% by the year 2020;even out  non pedagogic workers’ salaries;
• increase funds for colleges and universities amounting to 4 – 4.5 billion CZK (approx. €153,2 million - €172,4 million).

ČMOS PŠ President, František Dobšík said, “Through this action we turn to the public and say that this government has a chance to implement all our demands. All political parties have education in their election programmes, together with the rise of salaries in education. We are ready to take stronger action but we believe that all can be negotiated and we are ready to negotiate”.

To recall, ETUCE is part of the European trade union movement’s call for an increase in minimum wages for Europe’s workers, including for teachers and other education personnel. The ETUC “Pay Rise Campaign” advocates for a general raise in salaries and especially in Eastern European countries who are faced with an alarmingly big east-west pay gap.