Primary school teachers will gain at least 4 percent from now on. On average, the salary increase in the coming years will be 10 percent, an increase of 440 euros per month based on a full-time salary.
The Ministry of Education, various trade unions and the school umbrella organizations PO Council and VO Council have agreed on this in an education agreement signed on Friday. For school leaders in primary education, the salary will increase by at least 5 percent with immediate effect and by an average of 11 percent in the coming years.
In total, the government will structurally allocate 1.5 billion euros for this agreement: 919 million for salaries, 300 million for reducing the workload in secondary education and 118 million for further training. In addition, teaching staff at schools with many vulnerable pupils will retain the labor market allowance on top of their salary in the coming years.
With the increases, the cabinet is closing the much-discussed ‘pay gap’, as announced in the coalition agreement. That has been a wish of the trade unions for some time, which have organized large demonstrations for this in the past. In 2017 and 2019, among other things, protests were held in The Hague with mottos such as ‘more knacks, fewer tasks’. The aim for a single collective labor agreement for basic education (primary and secondary education together), which is also included in the coalition agreement, has not yet been achieved.
Staff shortage
Minister Dennis Wiersma (VVD) hopes to combat the staff shortage in education with the salary increases. ‘It is essential that there are enough teachers who can practice their profession well.’ The minister says that the education agreement is ‘the starting point for a broader work agenda’ with all interest representatives in education.
The coalition agreement also states: ‘In the context of the teacher shortage, we are encouraging the extension of contracts (more hours).’ Critics fear that the salary increase in primary education will encourage part-time jobs. But the hope of all those involved in this agreement is that it will become more attractive to go into education and continue to work.
The minister also believes that a clear assignment to education can help create a good working climate, with a focus on language, maths and citizenship. He is discussing the further curriculum – what students should know and be able to do – with the House of Representatives. Previous attempts under the Rutte II and III cabinets, with ‘Ons Onderwijs 2032’ and ‘curriculum.nu’, have failed.