Ministry of Finance presents another offer for teachers - They are not accepting

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by Ifi Reporter Category:Government Aug 18, 2022

Less than two weeks before the start of school, negotiations between the Ministry of Education and the Teachers' Union, which represents elementary and middle school teachers, are still stuck. Both sides are intensifying the tone towards September 1, and the pressure in the corridors of government is increasing in an attempt to prevent a strike - certainly during an election period.
Now the Ministry of Finance presents another offer for teachers, the third in number. In the core controversial issues—mainly the starting salary of teachers—the Treasury did not improve its proposal. The salary increases for educators and other officials will also reach NIS 1,100 per month, similar to the previous proposal.
The proposal includes raising the starting salary of teachers to NIS 9,000, compared to the NIS 10,500 demanded by the teachers, and the payment of a persistence bonus of up to NIS 24,000 after three years, to encourage beginning teachers to stay in the system (instead of a bonus of up to NIS 19,000 that was proposed earlier).
Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman presented the proposal at a press conference he convened today (Wednesday) in Jerusalem. According to him, the total cost of the current proposal is about NIS 4 billion per year. "This is the first time that the Ministry of Education's budget is larger than the defense budget," Lieberman said. "We are now presenting a proposal that is both just, both smart and fair."
"We offer the teachers the maximum that can be offered," Lieberman said. "It should be emphasized that we are exposed to wage claims totaling NIS 40 billion - also from police officers, doctors and assistants, and in a package deal. There are countless wage claims. What we sign with the teachers will affect the others as well, so we have to approach it responsibly."
According to Lieberman, "We found ourselves in a situation where there is no choice. We will put the entire proposal of the Ministry of Finance on the table today, with all the rulings, for all to see. We have given a fair, smart and just proposal, both in terms of wages, also in the adjustment of vacations between the economy and the education system, and in compensation excellence".
 Lieberman hinted that the teachers union is trying to drag out negotiations until the start of the school year in order to exert pressure on the threat of a strike. "There are those who think that a few months before elections, a government will not allow itself a strike, and we will give beyond what we are able to give. This will not happen. We will not blink," he said. "In my case - violent behavior and bullying will not pay off."
The person in charge of wages at the Ministry of Finance, Kobi Bar-Nathan, said: "This is the third proposal we put on the table. We hope that the other side can also be flexible, as we listen to them and to the field. The proposals are not pulled from the hip, and they are all based on data."
It is also proposed to raise the starting salary for school principals to NIS 20,000 - an increase of NIS 1,500, which is more generous than the previous proposal. The salary of the deputy directors will increase to NIS 16.3 thousand, according to the proposal. Apart from this, the school principals will be able to offer additional positions in the schools to teachers in the fields of their choice, for a remuneration of NIS 600 per month.
The proposal also includes the employment of teachers on personal contracts in certain subjects; Greater flexibility for administrators in firing teachers; extension of the trial period (in which the teachers do not receive tenure) from two to four years; and 100% salary for intern teachers (the Histadrut still demands that this year be recognized as seniority).
In the area of ​​change in vacation days, the proposal of the Ministry of Finance is minor. It now mainly includes the shift of the days off on Esro Hagg (in the three legs), on the Fast of Esther and on the Day of Omer to the following Fridays, as well as other changes that will result in the synchronization and efficient use of about ten working days. The Teachers' Union. The Teachers' Union has already opposed this demand.
The Ministry of Finance withdrew a number of significant demands that it had placed at the beginning of the negotiations. Thus, the changes in vacation days became only minor; Although the Ministry of Finance did not retract the demand to cancel the studies on Fridays, it now appears in the proposal only as a demand from the Histadrut for a commitment to have future cooperation; And the Treasury withdrew the demand it placed for a differential salary for teachers based on an evaluation mechanism.
Today at noon a meeting regarding the crisis in the education system is scheduled to be held with the participation of Prime Minister Yair Lapid, the Minister of Finance and the Minister of Education, in order to discuss the issue. The Treasury will present its current proposal at the meeting.
The teachers union stated: "The vague proposal that the Ministry of Finance presented to the public today is not familiar to us and was not presented to us as part of the negotiation meetings that took place all week. It is probably not for nothing that the Ministry of Finance refrained from raising this embarrassing proposal in negotiations with us. This is a proposal that further harms the terms of employment of the teaching staff. We once again call on the Prime Minister, Yair Lapid, to personally intervene in a crisis that threatens to destroy the education system and prevent its shutdown."
The proposal also includes an increase in the minimum employment scope, which is mainly relevant for young teachers, who are usually employed part-time in schools. "We detect an increasing number of young teachers leaving," said Bar-Nathan.

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