The teachers' union will suspend classes for grades 10 and 11 on Sunday

In protest of the lack of progress in negotiations on teachers' salaries between the ministries of finance and education and the organization of secondary teachers, the organization announced today (Friday) that on Sunday (April 30) classes for students in grades 10 and 11 will be suspended. "The decision was made after more than a year of negotiations Barren," the organization said. On Sunday, the organization is expected to announce further steps to escalate the protest.

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The solution to the crisis? The Ministry of Finance's new salary proposal for the teachers' union

The chairman of the organization, Ran Erez, said: "I am sorry to see the lack of interest shown by the Minister of Education, Yoav Kish, in what is happening in the education system, in the lack of professional teachers, in the existing abandonment and disdain of the finance officials for the claims of the secondary teachers."

Last week, the Ministry of Finance offered the teachers' organization an updated proposal on the salary agreement . According to the proposal, upon full maturity of the salary agreement, a teacher's salary will start at NIS 10,000 for a teacher with a bachelor's degree and NIS 10,900 for a teacher with a master's degree.

Over 1,500 shekels have been added to the starting salary since their previous offer. In the first step, this coming September, their salary will rise to 9,099 NIS and 9,952 NIS respectively. Also, a salary increase will be given to all teachers that does not decrease from an amount of NIS 850 upon full maturity of the agreement.

The teachers' demonstration in Tel Aviv (photo: Avshalom Sashoni)

The Ministry of Finance stated: "In view of the respectful and detailed proposal, which is adapted to the needs of the education system and the scope of the other salary agreements signed in recent times, we are sorry that the teachers' organization continues to harm the students. The Ministry of Finance calls on the teachers' organization to stop the heavy harm to the high school students just before the graduation period and to come to the table of "From a genuine desire to reach a proper and good salary agreement for the education system."

At the hearing held earlier this week at the National Court, a compromise was reached that would prevent serious harm to the students and allow the teachers' organization to continue their protest: the teachers' organization would assign grades to the students and allow them to appeal. The grades will be entered in the Ministry of Education's system at this stage, but they will not be used until further discussion.

The National Court reached a compromise between the local government center and the Ministry of Education and the teachers' organization when it ordered the teachers' organization to stop the sanctions against the high school students and to transfer to all students their protective grades and allow them to appeal the grades. According to the court ruling, at this stage the teachers' organization will enter the grades into the Ministry of Education's system but will not use them until the court decides otherwise.

Ran Erez (Photo: Avshalom Sashoni)

In February, the teachers' organization announced a one-day strike to mark one year since the start of negotiations on the teachers' employment contract, which by now has already expired. "Our collective agreement expired in February 2022, exactly one year we have been trying to talk and promote negotiations with the Ministry of Finance without any result. We meet and raise various issues, but not any answer," Erez said at the time in a conversation with Anat Davidov on her program on 103FM. "Not even a negative answer. This strike is extremely legal and we have declared a labor dispute. In fact, the one who sued us in the labor court is the Ministry of Finance itself, but he lost this lawsuit and on the contrary – he was obliged to negotiate with us. However, he does not do the This, he disgraces the court."