Czech teachers from 7,000 schools go on strike

Some 128,000 workers from 7,000 kindergartens, elementary and secondary schools, which is more than a half of the total of about 10,500 regional education facilities in the Czech Republic, took part in a strike on Dec. 4, Frantisek Dobsik, chairman of the Czech School Workers's Union, said. The unions announced the strike after they failed in the negotiations about $170 million to the Education Ministry's draft budget for 2008. Of that money, the unions want most of it to go to teachers' wages and some for school equipment and further education of teachers. More than 12,000 school workers went on strike in Prague alone, according to figures provided by the unions. Some 600 demonstrators from various regions gathered in Prague's Maltezske namesti square near the Education Ministry. Meetings were also held in other Czech regions. New minister Ondrej Liska (Greens, SZ), who was inaugurated that day, said the strike will change nothing in that the sector will not get the money for salaries and teaching aids next year. The Chamber of Deputies will probably raise the Education Ministry's budget by about $56 million, but unions say this is not enough. The teachers' pay is to rise by 1.5 percent next year, which is well below the projected inflation of 4.4 to 5.8 percent, that would decrease the teachers' real pay, unions say. Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek (Civic Democrats, ODS), however, speaks about other inflation figures. He also said the strike is unnecessary. Liska offered "serious partnership" to the teachers protesting in Prague. "You've heard a number of empty promises so far," he told them, adding that the insufficient spending on education is a problem that has been underestimated for a long time, but cannot be resolved "ad hoc" every time when state budget bill is debated. Liska said the role of teachers in society has not been respected appropriately. "The quality of this role is linked to and needs to be reflected in the quality of [teachers'] pay," Liska said. Milan Stech, head of the CMKOS umbrella union, who turned up to greet the demonstrators, said that the education sector has been underfinanced for a long time and it is threatened with a further financial decline in view of the expected inflation. "I'd like the strike to continue as I'm convinced that the government would finally find the money [requested by teachers]," said Stech, senator for the senior opposition CSSD. Later in the afternoon, the demonstrators set off for the Chamber of Deputies, elsewhere in Prague, chanting "We are your voters," "Come and take up teaching" and "We want your salaries," all slogans addressed to lower house deputies. None of the government deputies appeared to meet the protesting teachers, unlike several of their opposition colleagues, including CSSD chairman Jiri Paroubek. Topolanek said the decreasing numbers of pupils at elementary schools will make it possible to raise teachers' pay by 4 to 4.5 percent, "which is the most in the whole public sphere and more than the envisaged inflation." Liska said he offers the school trade unions discussion on a systemic and long-term solution that would prevent similar protests in the future. The teachers who were on strike will not get any pay for the day. Dobsik said the Association of Private Schools also supported the strike. The unions, however, did not address private schools before the strike because they know tuition is paid at the schools and they would have to return the money for the cancelled lessons or to substitute for the lessons. Dobsik said he still knows about a few private schools that joined the strike. He said church schools did not join the strike at all. The average monthly wage of teachers at schools operated by regions was about $1,300 in the first half of 2007, and of other educational workers $1,070. The average monthly wage in the Czech Republic slightly exceeded $1,150 crowns in that period. A total of 241,000 workers worked in regional educational facilities in 2004. Their number decreased to 236,000 last year. The number of school children has been declining as well in view of the demographic situation. It fell by 39,000 in the previous and by another 32,000 in the current school year, according to the unions' figures. Earlier this year, school workers' unions organized a petition campaign in April, went on strike alert in August and held protests in Prague in September and October. Previously, 65,000 people joined a chain strike of teachers in 1997, and about 3,000 schools joined a day-long strike in 2003.