The Serbian Government adopted a Conclusion on establishing a Working Group to engage in discussions with representatives of education sector employees, given the demands of employees at educational institutions for salary increases, the Serbian Government said in a press release.
Members of this Working Group will discuss methods and modalities for potential salary increases in the sector and take part in developing negotiating positions for talks with education sector employees, as well as other stakeholders, as necessary, to successfully fulfill its mandate, the press release said.
On November 4, the unions initiated a rotating legal strike in schools, during which educational institutions alternately shortened classes to 30 minutes each week for several school districts.
While representatives from major education workers’ unions met with the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on December 25, who proposed a joint policy document outlining measures to improve their financial situation, all four unions rejected his offer later that day.
High school seniors in Serbia have joined ongoing university student protests demanding accountability for the November 1 collapse of a concrete awning at a Novi Sad train station, which killed 15 people. After some high school teachers expressed support for their students’ actions, the Government responded by ordering an early winter break to curtail the school protests.
Serbian Prime Minister Milos Vucevic said on January 3, 2025, that the second semester will proceed as scheduled and warned that teachers who refuse to work will be fired.
Responding to Vucevic’s threats, Mirjana Gasic from the Union of Serbian Education Workers said that “no teacher is willing to submit to such pressure,” adding that there aren’t enough qualified educators available to replace the current teaching workforce.
“That threat has not frightened us. The government should first honor what it committed to a year and a half ago,” said Gasic, referring to a protocol signed in October 2023 between the Government and education workers’ unions.
Unions are calling for teachers’ average salaries to be aligned with the national average, as previously agreed with the Government of former Prime Minister Ana Brnabic. However, the current Government under Prime Minister Vucevic has not fulfilled this commitment.
