Liberman optimistic teachers union dispute can be resolved despite looming strike
Finance minister reports ‘movement’ and goodwill ‘on all sides’ to reach agreement before September 1 school reopening; union says Treasury needs to stop blocking progress
Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman claimed Monday that ongoing negotiations between the Israel Teachers Union and the government appear to be approaching an agreement, according to a series of tweets Monday morning.
Talks to solve a salary dispute between the ministry and the union have made little progress for months. Union head Yaffa Ben David has repeatedly threatened to prevent schools from opening as scheduled on September 1 if an agreement is not reached.
Despite the ongoing threat, Liberman said he departed Sunday’s round of negotiations with a “feeling that there is movement and a good desire for resolution on all sides,” adding that he anticipates a conclusion to the saga on Monday or Tuesday.
Liberman also took the opportunity to hit back at reports that the prolonged negotiations had simply been over teachers’ wages.
“Anyone who says that the argument between the Finance Ministry and the teachers union is over 800 million shekels is mistaken and misled,” he tweeted.
Liberman said that underlying the negotiations was “78% of the public that are unsatisfied with the education system, the emphasis on (teachers’) excellence and not on seniority, the demand for synchronization of vacation days between the Israeli workforce and the education system, and the powers that should be given to principals [to decide who gets a raise].”
Teachers Union officials told the Ynet news site that it had always been possible to conclude the talks swiftly.
“Everything could be finished in hours, if only the Treasury officials would change their attitude and stop delaying progress. Right now they are trying to bring about revolutions instead of reaching a salary agreement,” the official said.
Negotiations reached a boiling point on Sunday after Liberman said he had filed for an injunction with the State Prosecutors Office in an effort to force teachers back to work on September 1.
Education Minister Yifat Shasha-Biton quickly hit back at Liberman’s threat, accusing him of undermining the months-long discussions.
“Those who ask for an injunction, at a time when teams from all sides are convening for negotiations on agreements that will lead to the orderly opening of the school year, are proving that they aren’t interested in reaching a deal and aren’t invested in the future of the education system and the children’s future,” she said.
Talks for a new agreement are said to be stuck over a union demand that a system determining salary hikes based on rank and seniority remain in place, rather than a system that would shift some of those raises to newer teachers and those who excel at their work.
The Finance Ministry is proposing that new teachers receive a 35 percent raise, while veteran teachers receive just a 3% hike.
Liberman’s plan also includes increasing the number of school days in a bid to help working parents. He also wants to provide more flexibility to school principals by allowing them to offer raises to outstanding teachers in order to incentivize excellence within the profession.
The Israel Teachers Union, which represents daycare, kindergarten, and elementary school teachers, has rejected all government proposals, accusing the ministry at one point of “manipulating the numbers” in its favor and deepening the crisis. Along with the Education Ministry, it has warned that the wage plan will result in a mass exodus of teachers in five to six years.
The government has limited wiggle room in what it can offer the teachers. As a caretaker government, the attorney general has capped what the Finance Ministry can offer teachers at NIS 4 billion ($1.2 billion) in the lead-up to elections.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
