ZAGREB, June 28 (Hina) - About 60 members of two Croatian teachers' unions on Thursday protested outside of the Croatian parliament building against draft amendments to a law on primary schools and a law on high schools. The unions
assessed regulations, under which a high school bonus is cancelled and high school professors' teaching load increased, as unacceptale. In line with the bonus, weekly teaching load is decreased by two, four and six hours for professors of 25, 30 and 35 years of service and amounted to 20 to 22 hours. But in accordance with the amendments, on which the parliament is to voice its opinion today, as of September 1, professors could work up to 30 percent more, while their wage could drop by the same percentage, union officials stressed. At the protests, which lasted about half an hour, Union president Vinko Filipovic said that by the amendments, the authorities showed lack of confiden
ZAGREB, June 28 (Hina) - About 60 members of two Croatian teachers'
unions on Thursday protested outside of the Croatian parliament
building against draft amendments to a law on primary schools and a
law on high schools.
The unions assessed regulations, under which a high school bonus is
cancelled and high school professors' teaching load increased, as
unacceptale.
In line with the bonus, weekly teaching load is decreased by two,
four and six hours for professors of 25, 30 and 35 years of service
and amounted to 20 to 22 hours. But in accordance with the
amendments, on which the parliament is to voice its opinion today,
as of September 1, professors could work up to 30 percent more,
while their wage could drop by the same percentage, union officials
stressed.
At the protests, which lasted about half an hour, Union president
Vinko Filipovic said that by the amendments, the authorities showed
lack of confidence in teachers.
Should such a law be passed, the upcoming school year will not start
normally and unions will know how to react, Filipovic said.
He said that parliament representatives from the ruling coalition
were "worse than the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ)" because they
lowered the teachers' standard more than the HDZ did.
Croatian parliament speaker Zlatko Tomicic received
representatives of the unions who presented him with a petition
against amendments to the two laws with 4,225 signatures of high
school professors.
Filipovic said Tomcic promised to see whether more favourable
solutions were possible.
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