Teachers in Hungary: Ten percent hike offered by minister ‘too little’

The ten percent pay rise for teachers Minister of Human Resources Miklós Kásler announced on Monday is “good for a bonus but too little for a hike”, teacher trade union PSZ said in a statement on Tuesday.

“After nearly 18 months of talks, the government has grasped so little of what concerns teachers,” the statement said. PSZ also criticised the ministry for its decision to implement the hike in July rather than immediately.

The union insisted that

the hike was announced as a bonus “which the government could cancel at any time”.

They added that even with the new hike, teachers’ salaries would remain below the national average. A 10 percent hike is not enough to prevent young teachers from changing careers, the statement said.

The ministry’s pledge of a managerial bonus to head teachers could increase the salaries of some of them to a monthly 821,000 forints (EUR 2,430) before tax, which would further divide teachers, the document said, adding that that

“dream salary” would only be available to 0.1 percent of Hungary’s teachers.

It added that auxiliary staff in kindergartens and schools would not benefit from the hike at all.

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