When 60 Turns To 30

On Sunday, February 16, with the wholehearted help of the faithful union leaders of Serbia and Belgrade, Tomislav Banovic and Dobrica Savic along with state-controlled Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), Marjanovic has proclaimed that the demands of the teachers have been met and has announced that children and professors will return to schools. All that accompanied by the personal guarantee that teachers themselves shall be satisfied with the generosity of the government for increasing their salaries by 30 percent (which incidentally, they didn't demand) and has promised more regular payments of the paupers wages.

Prime Minister Marjanovic has missed the mark in at least three assessments: first, the professors and pupils have not gone back to school. Second, instead of being satisfied with the government's suggestion, the duped and insulted teachers have stood by their union negotiators, consolidated their ranks and have decided to continue with their strike. Third, the professors, along with the parents of the pupils are watching and believing state television less and less, which had pompously announced the government's generosity accompanied by its concern for their status and standard.

"All they have done was play games with us. They have humiliated us, and we won't allow that. Banovic isn't our authorized negotiator and had no right to sign anything with the government in our name. We simply won't accept it", says professor Katarina Stevanovic for VREME, a member of the Initial Elementary and High Schools Board.

Following the initial shock incited more by the impertinence than the deception, the teachers have in the early afternoon hours on Monday, February 17, rallied in Nemanjina street, in front of the government of Serbia - accompanied by whistle blowing, trumpets, rattles and shouts of thieves, thieves, deception - where they protested against the signed agreement. They couldn't hear their union negotiators since the police had "confiscated" their car bearing the PA system somewhere on Slavija.

The rebellion of 90 percent of over a hundred thousand teachers in Serbia has been going on for more than a month. The school employees have primarily appealed for their salaries to be paid more regularly in future (at the beginning of this year they were short two salaries), demanded that they speak with the Minister of Education, warned of their poverty and incapability to support even their own children. Nothing came of it. As they have learned from last year's strikebreaking experience, they seem to have organized themselves better now. They have formed their joint negotiating team composed of the state and Independent Trade Union, the Initial Elementary and High School Board, the High School Forum and the Teachers Union of Vojvodina, and have fixed their demands: that their left over salaries be paid and that their monthly salaries amount to 60 percent of the average wage in the Republic.

The members of the negotiating team told us that they are only asking that the government meet the demands which they have signed with the union in the far away year of 1994 when the employment contracts were being drawn up. Beside other things, an obligation stipulates that wages should amount to 60 percent of the average wage in the Republic.

Publicly ignoring the protest and refusing negotiations, the government has seriously taken steps towards breaking up the teachers' strike towards the end of January, at first gently -warning that teachers and professors didn't have the right to completely suspend all professional activities. A warning later ensued that payments shall be suspended, which they are not receiving on a regular basis anyway. The principals then appeared on the scene threatening to fire their employees. In certain high schools in Knjazevac, Majdanpek, Kladovo and Bor, bypassing full-time employees, principals called in retired teachers, superintendents and those presently unemployed - to serve as an example for the disobedient ones who had dared to protest by shortening the duration of classes to thirty minutes.

The first hint that the government was considering negotiations with the teachers came when news of the strike were shifted from the 28th minute of the prime-time newscast to the tenth, forgoing the principals' credibility as strike breakers. "The professors who are on strike shall not be punished, and all threats uttered by the principals on dismissals shall be ignored ..." was the message sent by the top Ministry of Education officials via RTS.

This improved treatment meted out to the professors and teachers didn't last long. On two or three occasions the negotiations held between the government and the union team were unsuccessfully concluded. In the Republican Teachers Union Board they say that Prime Minister Marjanovic had put in an appearance towards the end of the negotiation talks held last Saturday (February 15), to scare the professors and to present a very direct ultimatum that they had to accept the stand of the government or "shall be held responsible for the security of the children out on the streets". He had also ascertained that 70 percent of the schools are operating and that a minor number was on strike. The mixed team of negotiators wasn't to Marjanovic's liking either, so that all had to leave the negotiations excluding state union members.

The government's initial promise that the second part of December salaries would be paid by February 14 (agreement signed three days later) wasn't kept. The authentic story from one Belgrade elementary school in which one part of the teachers and pupils believed RTS that classes would be continued at the beginning of this week goes as follows: one part of the professors and pupils came to school. They held their first classes, after which the school treasurer returned with an empty bag, announcing that there was no money for the second part of December salaries since Beobanka's account has been frozen. The teachers left their roll books and rushed to join the rally in front of the Government of Serbia while the pupils went home. The principal remained in the school, but not for long, since he was summoned to join an urgent meeting in the Ministry of Education where he was reprimanded. We met up with one teacher of the above mentioned school and when we asked for her name she ironically answered: "teacher", exactly as the largest banner of the teachers' street rebellion reads.

The government has obliged itself to raise the coefficient by which salaries are calculated "up to 30 percent", as of January 1 of this year. Since salaries are late, this practically means that the teaches shall get their raise, by liberal estimates, sometimes in April. There were also promises that wages would be paid every ten days or so, and that the debatable 220 dinar base salary shall be maintained "only" until March. Even if the government keeps its promises, teachers could not hope for certain improvements before June or July coinciding with the school vacation, when financiers are usually uttering promises to someone else who is protesting. "It isn't true that we wish for inflation. If there is money for the police, there has to be money for the teachers as well. Our demands are decent and were made on the basis of consumer needs. The deputy prime minister claims that in accordance with our demands, teachers would have 2.000 dinars salaries. Only principals could have such salaries or, possibly, a professor with 35 years of service, a homeroom teacher, all extras included. I am not certain, but I don't believe that it would amount to that much", says Jelena Hristodulo, president of the Independent Trade Union .

By the simplest coefficient raise according to the government suggestion, a professor with 10 years of service would, instead of 1.000, be earning 1.230 dinars. Teachers' salaries would be raised from 740 to 960 dinars, while school janitors, for example, also with 10 years of service, would instead of 360 approximately be earning an additional hundred dinars. The people we have spoken to claim that the government is tampering with teachers' patience, and that the TV campaign is aimed at discrediting school employees.

The fragile teachers union is holding out in the battle for now. In case Mirko Marjanovic's announcement "that they can continue their strike until the year 2000, if they wish", is realized, nothing good lays in store for the teachers. Apart from the parents and students, who are standing on the cold streets with them, for now no massive support is evident. The teachers' strike commenced on January 15. More than 1.200 people took part in the general strike. The rest are either partially on strike or not on strike at all.