Education Minister presents new proposals in savings dispute

(CS/jag/ml) After teacher unions threatened strike action over a government savings package, Education Minister Claude Meisch has tabled new proposals to help solve the crisis.

Meisch and union representatives in June had reached an agreement after months of talks for which a mediator was finally called in. However, as soon as negotiations were concluded, union representatives said they did not support the reformed savings package, urging teachers to vote against it.

This left Meisch declaring the talks as failed, slamming union behaviour as irresponsible and saying the savings measures agreed in negotiations would be implement.

Unions meanwhile threatened strike should Meisch fail to withdraw the proposals. However, the Education Minister appears to have launched a new offensive to reach an agreement, tabling new proposals. 

New proposals

Among the issues up for discussion is teacher pay during exam time. While salaries were meant to be reduced to teaching hours only for the entire exam period, Meisch has suggested limiting the measure to eight weeks for teachers who do not teach an exam class and six weeks for teachers who are working with students sitting finals. Additionally, pay for grading of papers is set to increase.

Meisch also showed himself open to discussing restructuring procedures to mark exam papers.

The ministry is also ready to discuss age-related exemption from work duties. The ministry wanted to scrap hours that older teachers are given off, having them work the hours in supporting roles instead, such as running after-school projects or mentoring students.

Meisch has now proposed that the hours could also be replaced with teacher training, as part of a pledge to make substantial investments in that area.

Supervisory duties could also be reorganised under the plans, with qualified teachers to be partially replaced by educators. This would free up teaching hours and save the state around 1.5 million euros. 

Hope for deal by July 31

The minister is looking to find a solution to the dispute by the end of July in order to avoid strike action at the start of term in September.

Meisch commented that the proposals included new approaches and could be the foundation for an agreement.

In a first reaction, president of teacher union Apess Daniel Reding showed himself surprised that Meisch made the proposals public before presenting them to unions in the ongoing mediation process.

However, the union said it would assess the document and then decide further action.