Roadmap AOb for better education salary
The government neglects to care for education. As a result, the educational salary gap compared to other professions is increasing. This damages the appeal of the profession and contributes to teacher shortages.
That writes the AOb in a salary statement published today. In the memorandum, the union presents a step-by-step plan to reverse the trend. “Following our workload manifesto, we present here our proposals for step-by-step improvement in education salaries,” says AObchairman Liesbeth Verheggen. “It's a realistic plan. We are not overcharging. A government that wants to invest in the knowledge economy needs well-trained staff. It comes at a cost, but it is an investment that ultimately pays for itself, in the form of well-educated young people who know how to find their way in society and in their work. ”
Education salary is lagging
The shortages of primary school teachers and teachers in a growing number of subjects in secondary education are increasing. In the 'Step-by-step plan for salary education', the AOb see that the salary matters when choosing education and the union explains why that salary has lagged behind other sectors and other countries.
The basis for the step-by-step plan is a more stable financing of teachers' salaries.
In times of economic headwinds, politicians have repeatedly reached for the zero line in recent years. This causes unrest in education and leads to a lag in salary development compared to the market. In addition, a new consultation system is needed in which the position of the government as a funder of education becomes more visible. The government currently dictates the scope for terms of employment, but employers' associations such as the PO Council, the VO Council, the MBO Council, the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences and the Association of Collaborating Universities consult with the unions about the collective labor agreements. Again and again, this working method leads to a backlog of salaries compared to the market. Practice shows that school boards solve shortages by transferring money from the terms of employment.
Revaluation
According to the plan of the AOb the government must make room in the budget for 2018 for the revaluation of support staff (300 million euros), the abolition of the lowest salary scale in primary education (500 million euros), the fulfillment of promises from the existing Teacher Covenant (250 million euros) and clearing the backlog incurred by using the zero line.
The career prospects of teachers in all educational sectors must improve by making more room for the transition to higher salary scales, so that the profession remains attractive and in line with the increased difficulty and higher educational requirements. This requires 1.340 million euros. In total, according to the AOb need an investment of 3.590 million euros in salary improvement to improve the attractiveness of the profession.
