High school teachers to strike today

High school teachers will carry out a one-day “warning strike” on Sunday that will include not only classes but also pedagogical and parent-teacher meetings and after-school activities.

“The Teachers Association announces that due to the procrastination and lack of progress made by the Finance and Education ministries in negotiations of a wage agreement in high schools, all high schools will be suspended this Sunday in a one-day warning strike,” a post on the association’s Facebook page states.

The union is demanding starting salaries for new teachers of NIS 8,000 per month, and that veteran teachers receive a raise of NIS 600 to NIS 800.

“The state needs to stop burying its head in the sand and start investing in its teachers’ future and in the future of the students of Israel,” said Teachers Association Chairman Ran Erez.

He told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday night: “The negotiations to increase our salaries were put on hold in December of 2016 – instead of meeting our demands they raised the salaries NIS 60 a month, that’s barely enough for two falafels.”

The demands, he said, are being heard by the Education Ministry, pointing out that the ministry’s director-general, Shmuel Abuav, supports them.

“It’s just that the Finance Ministry is dragging its heels and not allocating the funds to correct this problem,” Erez said.