As a result of the increase, a teacher in primary education earns the same as in secondary education. The government is allocating approximately 920 million euros to close this so-called pay gap, which has been discussed for years. The ministry emphasizes that this is an average increase, but that all primary school teachers will receive at least 4 percent. School leaders are also improving, according to the ministry by a minimum of 5 percent and an average of 11 percent.
The workload must also be reduced in secondary education. Agreements have been made about this with the Secondary Education Council. Together with the unions, he makes agreements about how the 300 million euros that is earmarked for it should be spent. There will also be more room for development and further training. Minister Dennis Wiersma (Education) is allocating another 118 million euros for this.
“Colleagues have campaigned for this for years,” said director of the General Education Union (AOb) Thijs Roovers in response to the equalization of wages in primary and secondary education. He said the credit goes to “all the teachers and supporters who have demonstrated time and again in the rain and mud. This would never have been possible without them.”
CNV Education calls closing the pay gap a “historic step.” Chairman Daniëlle Woestenberg: “We have been campaigning for this since 2017. This means recognition and appreciation of the valuable work in primary education.” The PO council talks about “extremely good news.”
The unions do not want to comment on the average increase of 10 percent. Roovers of the AOb: “Not everyone makes a significant improvement each month. It depends on what salary scale you are in, on which step and what position you hold.” Next week, the AOb will come up with an ‘instrument’ with which employees can find out their new salary. CNV Education also wants to ‘stay away’ from mentioning percentages. “Nobody is an average.”
The agreements that were presented on Friday are separate from the regular collective labor agreement negotiations, including on inflation. They will start again from the end of May, according to the AOb.