
On Tuesday, December 24, representatives of major education unions met with President Aleksandar Vučić, Prime Minister Ana Brnabić, and other high-ranking government officials including Slavica Đukić Dejanović, Saša Stevanović (State Secretary of the Ministry of Finance), Ivica Kojić (Chief of the President’s Cabinet), and Jovana Cilić Radonjić, advisor to the Speaker of the National Assembly, reports Danas newspaper.
The President proposed creating a joint document outlining measures to improve the financial status of education workers. According to Danas sources, union members are currently voting on these measures.
This meeting comes at a time when educators, who have been on strike since November, have threatened (not for the first time) to escalate their actions.
Context: The teachers’ demands include:
– Raising starting teacher salaries to match the national average wage
– Immediate signing of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (the current one expires March 5, 2025)
– Reducing administrative burden
– Consolidating teaching norms
– Reforming curriculum
– Making the teaching profession more attractive to young talent
The proposed measures document indicates an 11% budget increase for salaries, with the President suggesting an additional 10% increase for teachers starting October next year, which would bring their salaries closer to the planned national average by October 2025. “Further salary increases in education are promised from January 1, 2026, along with other public sectors,” reports Danas.
The meeting also proposed developing a comprehensive platform to address key issues through 2027, including staff shortages, teacher authority and respect, education quality, student outcomes, administrative reduction, and legislative changes. One proposal suggests signing the new Collective Bargaining Agreement on Saint Sava Day, January 27, 2025 (Note: Saint Sava is the patron saint of Serbian education).