New school year in HNK begins with warning strike

MOSTAR, (Patria) - The new school year in secondary schools of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton began with a warning strike by teachers during the last two class periods in both shifts.

This was confirmed on Monday at a press conference by representatives of the unions of schools operating under both the Croatian and federal curricula, as reported by Starmo.

- All schools will join the strike - said Josip Milić, president of the Union of Secondary Schools in HNK (Croatian curriculum).

He reminded that the unions are demanding a 15 percent salary increase, while the HNK government had earlier offered a gradual increase of 10 percent over the next three years. Milić stated that the salaries of employees in secondary schools in HNK have remained unchanged since 2009, while the HNK budget has increased over the last seven years.

- My salary in 2011 was 950 KM, in 2018 it is also 950 KM, while the budget has increased by 44 million marks - Milić said, among other things.

Union representatives demanded that negotiations with the HNK government begin as soon as possible.

Edina Čomić, president of the Union of Secondary Schools operating under the federal curriculum in HNK, announced that a meeting of all union representatives will be held tonight, and she announced the possibility of organizing protests next Monday.

- We will not shy away from a general strike either - Čomić said.

Union representatives also stated that for the second consecutive year, HNK is the only canton in BiH without any open competitions, meaning complete uncertainty for a large number of temporary employees, who, as stated, make up between 30 and 40 percent of school staff.