On November 22, Radio 7’s Keskhommik program discussed, among other topics, the soon-to-start teachers’ strike. In the show, host Janek Mäggi, member of the Riigikogu Lauri Laats and North Tallinn elder Manuela Pihlap discussed that teachers’ salary should be a social agreement, that means setting a certain percentage of GDP as in the case of national defense spending.
Lauri Laats, member of the Riigikogu, said in the radio program that teachers must definitely strike and stand up for their views and salary. The radio program stated that before the elections, all political parties promised to raise teachers’ salaries.
“The situation has become embarrassing, because every year the same topic is raised and teachers have to ask for payment for their work, but this should be a social agreement. We should jointly agree that teachers’ salaries must be raised to the level that those teachers who work elsewhere today will start thinking about returning to school,” said Pihlap.
Lauri Laats said that perhaps it is similar to a social agreement, as we did with defense costs. “We made it a priority and we won’t argue about it anymore. In this way, teachers’ salaries should also be prioritized,” said Laats.
“Teachers have every right to expect that the promises made by several political parties during the elections to raise their salaries will also be implemented. It has been said that the finances have suddenly become very bad. According to Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, we are in a big mess. Yet just a year and one month ago, last October, when Keit Pentus-Rosimannus left the position of Minister of Finance, according to him, the state’s finances were in good shape. The question arises, when were we told the truth about the state of the country’s finances, when was the truth twisted, then or now? Because both points of view cannot be right,” said Manuela Pihlap.
