Estonian Education Workers' Union (EHL), which unites Estonian teachers, invited the Minister of Education and Science for negotiations to prevent a teachers' strike that threatens to happen in the fall.
Minister of Education Tõnis Lukas Tõnis Lukas is an Estonian politician. , Chancellor Kristi Vinter-Nemvalts, and Vice-Chancellors Liina Põld and Pärt-Eo Rannap will participate in the consultation on the minimum salary for teachers with representatives of the Union of Estonian Towns and Municipalities and the Union of Estonian Education Workers on Tuesday.
The head of EHL, Reemo Voltri, suggests that the teacher's salary should equal other highly educated specialists to avoid the strike. Volter also adds that teachers' salary has, for years now, been lower than the increase in prices and living costs, and in terms of real purchasing power, Estonian teachers are impoverished.
Voltri claims that this is why so many teachers leave and a load of new teachers starting in the career is ten times lower than needed, putting sustaining Estonian education at significant risk.
A survey by EHL carried out in May, suggests that 92 percent of teachers have experienced burnout at work, and nearly 60 percent considered leaving work due to low salary and overload. Most respondents indicated a salary of 2,000 euros or more as a good salary, which corresponds to the average for employees with higher education in Estonia. Currently, however, the teacher's salary is 1412 euros.