AOb: quickly realize higher salary and lower workload in collective labor agreement
De AOb wants the two most important points in primary education: a lower workload and a better salary to be realized in the next collective labor agreement. The union is fully committed to this in the new collective labor agreement negotiations. However, extra money is needed to achieve these goals.
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The salary of primary school teachers should be in line with that of their colleagues in secondary education. To deal with the workload, the classes must be smaller and there must be more hands in the classroom. That stands in the letter of AOb which contains the goals for the new collective labor agreement negotiations.
Main points
“Our main points are of course a fair salary and a lower workload,” says AObprimary education director Eugenie Stolk. “All developments, such as appropriate education, require more complex skills from teachers and support staff. The remuneration is not yet in line with this. ”
All developments, for example appropriate education, require more complex skills from teachers and support staff. The reward is not yet in line with that.
The wage structure must be adjusted, whereby a logical first step is to abolish the lowest LA salary scale and there must be more career opportunities. That has the AOb already made clear in mid-February of this year his Salary step-by-step plan.
The cabinet has pledged 270 million euros for salaries, but that is a first step if it is up to Stolk. "To close the gap with secondary education, we need 900 million euros." In the bet, the AOb in addition to this investment, a 3,5 percent wage increase for all employees in primary education.
Less hours, more hands in class
De AOb also has plans to ease the workload. Stolk: “The high workload now hinders further improvement and innovation in primary education. It makes the profession unattractive and it increases the teacher shortage that is already there. ” The AObnegotiators are aiming for smaller classes with an average of one teacher per 23 students at a school. In addition, more hands are needed in the classroom and a janitor should be employed at every school. Teachers will eventually have to give fewer lessons: a maximum of 22 lessons per week. “This gives them more time for preparation and development of education,” says de AOb-driver.
To realize all these plans for the long term, extra money is needed from The Hague. “We conclude that completely insufficient resources are being used,” says Stolk. “500 million euros is needed to reduce workload. The cabinet has pledged 430 million, but this money will not be fully released until 2021. We want to bring this to the fore and school teams must gain insight into how the money is spent. The salary requires 900 million euros and 270 million euros has been planned for this. We therefore want to take further action to create more space for primary education. ”
“We conclude that completely insufficient resources are being used,” says Stolk
The agreements about the 40-hour working week are another point. They need to be adjusted, according to Stolk. “The evaluation shows that these agreements in the collective labor agreement are not properly implemented. The team must have more say in the division of tasks, commitment and compulsory attendance at school. ”
Other goals
Other goals that Stolk will pursue during the new round of collective bargaining agreements are: extra guidance for starting teachers, more career prospects for educational support staff and a reappraisal of their positions. Also wants the AOb more space for training of educational support staff. New agreements must be made about the job mix, the upscaling of teachers to higher salary scales, together with the wage structure, and temporary workers must receive maximum protection and always fall under the collective labor agreement.
Read the complete commitment of the AOb and FNV Overheid with all the details in this letter.
