Education and Science, Legislation, Lithuania, Strike

On 9 October the Presidium of the Lithuanian Education Employees' Trade Union (LSDPS) discussed legal aspects of the collective dispute with the Ministry of Education and Science.

Even though the Education Ministry had agreed to solve the dispute via a conciliator, however, according to the trade union, so far it cannot agree over intermediation conditions. The Presidium declared that the negotiations were being procrastinated, thus, it decided to renew the action plan seeking to implement the demands and to hold a rally outside the Ministry of Education and Science on 28 October.

The trade union has also informed that if an agreement on intermediation is not signed by 17 October 2014, the trade union will regard this as a refusal to solve the dispute via conciliation.

Head of the Lithuanian Education Employees' Trade Union, Andrius Navickas, told ELTA news agency that teachers will demand to reinstate education vouchers, raise salaries of pre-school teachers to match the level of teachers, improve the base monthly salary, sign the collective agreement etc.

"We had submitted our requirements but they are not being implemented. The ministry agreed with conciliation but we have been unable to agree over intermediation conditions for a month now. In fact, the negotiation is not proceeding," Navickas said.

Navickas hopes that 400-500 teachers from all over Lithuania will take part in the rally. For the last time teachers protested in June.