Negotiations new collective labor agreement for primary education stalled
Collective bargaining between trade unions and employers has broken down. The employers' wage offer was a full percent too low, he says AObchairman Eugenie Stolk. "Employers still don't seem to understand that the teacher shortage is the biggest concern."
Picture: Type tank
The biggest stumbling block to a collective labor agreement is the employers' wage offer. The unions want, between now and July 1, 2020, a three percent wage increase from December 1, and then a one percent wage increase from March 1. The employers offer only three percent for the total period. “The math is very simple,” says AObchairman Stolk. “We are one percent short. That was unbridgeable. ”
The employers' wage offer is so low that it cannot be explained to the teachers, support staff and directors, says Stolk. "With the current offer, wage increases in education would lag behind by about a full percent compared to wages in other public sectors."
AObchairperson Eugenie Stolk: 'The wage offer from the employers is so low that it is impossible to explain it to the teachers and support staff.'
The collapse of the collective labor agreement negotiations means that there will be no wage increase for the time being, even though it is desperately needed to make the profession more attractive. Stolk: “This is really a shame. Our members have striked hard for more money structurally. We have tried everything to arrive at a new collective labor agreement, but that was not successful due to the attitude of the employers. ”
Ridiculous
The PO Council now wants to call on its supporters - the school boards - to pay out money for the wage allowance as a one-off payment to their staff. A ridiculous idea, says Stolk. “This is collective labor agreement money to which all teachers and support staff are entitled. You cannot leave the payment of this to the fancies of individual school boards. One board may pay out the money completely, the other board may pay it out partially and the third board will simply put it in the lump sum. Moreover, it is a one-off amount, while teachers and support staff are entitled to structural money. ”
Unacceptable
The CNV also finds it 'completely unacceptable' that the PO Council is calling on school boards to make unilateral one-off payments. 'That does not give the teaching staff any rights, it leads to arbitrariness and not a structural wage increase.'
The General Association of School Leaders is also not happy with the employers' wage offer, saying it is "angry and disappointed". 'With this, the employers simply leave education - and certainly also the school leaders - out in the cold.'
AOb-President Stolk keeps the door open for further consultation: "If the PO-Council is willing to let go of this rigid attitude, we are of course willing to talk further."
