Even more teachers have joined the Education, Science and Culture Union since the nationwide teachers’ strike for higher pay began on Monday, union president Jakim Nedelkov told a news conference Thursday. He said the strike was continuing — despite “serious pressure” on some strikers — until the majority of unionists agreed to accept a pay increase offer, which, he highlighted, government officials have not given yet, reports MIA.
Instead of resuming classes and negotiating higher pay in parallel, which had been suggested by Education Minister Jeton Shaqiri, Nedelkov said the union needed to see a specific proposal on the negotiating table first.
“We have the same goal, but we are walking different roads. It is also our goal for the strike to end sooner and for children to return to their classrooms and playrooms, but first our paths need to cross and we need to reach an acceptable solution so we can end the strike. We are convinced we are doing the right thing for our members,” Nedelkov said.
The Education, Science and Culture Union leader said preschool center employees were under the most pressure to stop the strike. He said there were reports of “anonymous letters from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy citing laws and giving instructions.”
He pointed out preschool employees already knew their legal rights and duties and they did not need reminders.
It was especially cruel, he added, that preschool principals kept striking employees in tiny crowded rooms and did not allow them to use the restroom or take a lunch break during the strike.
No such problems were reported in elementary schools and high schools, although some teachers had been threatened that they would get paid less, he said.
“No one can stop the strike using force,” Nedelkov stressed. “This [kind of pressure] is counterproductive to the request of the Ministry of Education and Minister of Education, whom I deeply respect in this situation and who is looking for a solution to meet our demands.”
The union leader said pressures on teachers to stop the strike had only strengthened their resolve. “Even if they don’t pay us for a month, they will not break us. We have already been broken enough by how society treats us and our professions, so nothing can surprise us or hurt us any more,” he said.
Urging the Government to address teachers through an official proposal, the union leader said the strike would not end unless unionists’ demands were met at least to some degree.
“Let’s make this clear: Without an acceptable proposal from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy, it is impossible to stop the strike.
“Our members will review any proposal. Fifty percent plus one vote will decide whether it is accepted or rejected.”
“We want this agony to stop,” Nedelkov said, “but we need to see a serious approach to this real problem.”
