The Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation and the Education Union have never discussed salary increases from January 2024, nor have they formed a commission and signed a special agreement, as foreseen in the Branch Collective Agreement (GKU), adopted on December 30 last year.
Mandatory consultations and the signing of the agreement were proposed before the signing of the GKU by the then Ministry of Finance, headed by Aleksandrom Damjanović.
"The budget law for 2023 for gross wages and employer contributions for pre-school, primary, secondary and inclusive education has a planned amount of 180,14 million euros and it foresees a 20 percent increase in the complexity coefficients for determining wages... Also, the required amount of funds for wages in 2024 and 2025 will be considered during the drafting of the annual budget law and the signing of the agreement", Damjanović stated in his opinion, which he sent to his colleague at the time, the Minister of Education, on December 28 last year Miomir Vojinović.
Damjanović confirmed yesterday that he had sent the opinion, specifying that it refers to consideration "in the context of the budget for the next year and 2025, because it cannot be done otherwise".
"And GKU specified the mechanism for harmonizing wages in the context of the macroeconomic environment," said Damjanović to "Vijesta".
Macroeconomic and fiscal policy guidelines for 2023-2026. year, which was adopted by the previous Government in July of this year as the main document setting budget spending limits, do not foresee the promised salary increase for educators.
In the Macroeconomic and Fiscal Policy Guidelines, it is stated that the spending limit for the Ministry of Education for the year 2024 is slightly more than 290 million euros, which means that the previous one, half a year after signing the Branch Collective Agreement with the Education Union, "forgot" to follow a new wage increase in that area. Similarly, the spending limit for 2025, 292 million, is planned. This means that then the announced increases of 10 percent each at the beginning of 2024 and 2025 were not taken into account.
Vojinović told "Vijesti" that the opinion of the Ministry of Finance was submitted to the Ministry of Education in "the context of preparing the budget for the next fiscal year, namely on December 28, 12, when the GKU for the field of education had already been agreed and accepted."
"I especially want to emphasize that in the process of negotiation and harmonization of the GKU, complete agreement was reached between the Commission of the Ministry of Education and the Union of Education, and representatives of the Ministry of Finance. I use the opportunity to emphasize that, according to the then adopted GKU, which is also written in the explanation of the GKU, the coefficients for wages are increased by 20 percent for 2023, 2024 percent for 10 and 2025 percent for 10, with the possibility of an additional increase depending on macroeconomic parameters," Vojinović told "Vijesta".
Božović: No one called us
Article 22 of the GKU foresees that, depending on the macroeconomic parameters and consumption limits that will be established for 2023 and 2024, in accordance with the Law on Budget and Fiscal Responsibility, the coefficients of the complexity of the work "will be further considered, on which a separate Agreement of the contracting parties will be adopted until the end of fiscal years 2023 and 2024".
A year after the adoption of the new GKU, Article 79 was not acted upon either, which stipulates that the contracting parties, i.e. the Ministry and the Union of Education, form a commission for the implementation, monitoring, application and interpretation of this Agreement, on a parity basis, of three representatives of each contracting party.
Yesterday, the Education Union told "Vijesta" that no one contacted them, invited them to negotiations, or consulted them before the preparation of the Bill on the Budget. President of the Trade Union Radomir Božović he said that 2023 was not like a covid year, so they should discuss postponing the increase until the country gets back on its feet, but according to all economic indicators, the financial situation has never been better.
He repeated that the increase is provided for in the Branch Collective Agreement (GKU) and that the budget is harmonized with that regulation.
The letter of the law or intimidation
Ahead of the announced protest of the Education Union, which is scheduled for tomorrow at five minutes to noon, some schools made the decision to end the second classification period already yesterday, instead of Friday.
Yesterday, this caused reactions from some parents, but also from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MPNI), which informed school principals that classes can be interrupted before Friday only in justified cases such as epidemics and natural disasters.
DON'T MISS IT
The MPNI sent the letter, as they stated, after a large number of directors asked that department regarding the organization of classes on Wednesday, and on the occasion of the announced public lesson of the Education Union.
In that letter from the MPNI, which "Vijesti" had access to, it is written that they have not received any official decision on the termination of work, as provided by the current regulations.
"In accordance with the established school calendar and work program of the institutions, Wednesday (December 27.12.2023, XNUMX) is a working day in all educational institutions in Montenegro. According to the school calendar and the work program of the institutions, it is planned that all students on that day and on all other working days until the end of the second classification period will have classes," the letter states.
The Ministry also said that in accordance with Article 64 of the Law on General Education, educational work can be interrupted only in particularly justified cases (epidemics, natural disasters, etc.).
"The decision on the suspension of educational work in the previously mentioned cases, for up to five days, is made by the director of the institution, and for more than five days by the Ministry, and in the case of a private institution, by the founder," the letter says.
From that department, they reiterated that the minimum amount of work is prescribed by the current Regulation, during which teachers, professional assistants and teaching assistants are obliged to conduct classes regularly, according to the daily schedule of classes.
The Trade Union responded to this, assessing that they perceive the letter as a form of intimidation and nervousness among educators, all with the possible goal of having as few educators as possible in front of the Assembly tomorrow, as well as to show that the Trade Union is breaking the law and has no support. employees.
They are holding a lesson for the citizens at the protest
The protest was conceived as a public class, with the teaching theme "For a better tomorrow - justice for education today".
According to "Vijesti" information, the educators prepared for the lesson in a joking tone, "just in case an inspection comes." According to the "preparation", the teachers are all present, and the students are citizens, it is a "lifelong learning" program, and the "civic education and upbringing" module.
As literature, they cited the Constitution, laws in the field of education and GKU for the field of education.
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