Gallery: Estonian teachers, rescuers protest for higher public sector pay
Teachers and rescuers gathered outside the Riigikogu in Tallinn on Monday to demand higher public sector wages in the government's 2027 state budget.
Estonian Education Personnel Union (EHL) chair Reemo Voltri said the country's governing parties — the Reform Party and Eesti 200 — promised to bring teachers' pay to a competitive level by 2027.
In reality, he noted, teachers' minimum monthly salary has instead fallen six percentage points relative to the national average wage in recent years.
A fresh union survey found that two-thirds of teachers have considered leaving the profession over the past year.
"This should be a very serious warning sign for the government," Voltri said.
He noted that a strong country needs not only strong defense capabilities but also a strong education system, "and teachers who can help shape our youth into an educated generation of critical thinkers."
Kalle Koop, chief representative of the Estonian Rescue Workers' Union (EPTAÜ) and a co-organizer of the protest, also stressed the importance of internal security.
"If we don't value the work of rescuers, police officers and emergency dispatchers with competitive pay today, it'll be too late tomorrow to discover that the front line is understaffed when a crisis hits," Koop warned.
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Editor: Mirjam Mäekivi, Aili Vahtla
