Gallery: Teachers and rescue workers protest for higher wages
Led by the Rescue Workers' Union (EPTAÜ) and the Estonian Education Personnel Union (EHL), teachers and rescue workers gathered outside the Riigikogu Thursday to demand a pay raise.
The government has decided to raise the minimum salary for teachers — currently €1,820 — by 8.2 percent next year, but educators say that's not enough.
"Even after the promised raise, by 2026 we'll still be in a situation where most teachers with a master's degree earn about 10 percent less than the national average salary," said Reemo Voltri, chair of the Estonian Education Personnel Union (EHL). "Low pay remains one of the main reasons why highly qualified teachers are leaving the profession."
"On top of that, we have no idea what will happen after 2026. Will teacher salaries be frozen again, causing us to fall further behind other sectors?"
The ruling coalition parties have pledged to raise the calculated average teacher salary to 120 percent of the national average by 2027. For that to happen, the base salary for teachers must at least match the national average wage.
To ensure that commitment is met, the EHL has proposed that the government write teacher salary increases into the state's medium-term budget strategy for the next three years.
Rescue workers face similar issues, often lured away by higher-paying jobs with lower stress. According to the Rescue Workers' Union (EPTAÜ), the promised 10 percent raise for rescue workers is also insufficient to ease the ongoing labor shortage in the sector.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Marcus Turovski
