Croatian Education Minister Faces Protests and Resignation Calls

The news in Croatian

1. ministar  (m.)
   Osoba koja je član vlade i vodi određeno ministarstvo. ↩︎
2. obrazovanje  (n.)
   Proces stjecanja znanja, vještina i vrijednosti kroz poučavanje i učenje. ↩︎
3. suočavati
   Biti u situaciji u kojoj se treba nositi s problemom ili izazovom. ↩︎
4. napetost  (f.)
   Stanje ili osjećaj tjeskobe ili stresa zbog sukoba ili neslaganja. ↩︎
5. sindikat  (m.)
   Organizacija koja predstavlja interese radnika i bori se za njihova prava. ↩︎
6. štrajk  (m.)
   Prekid rada od strane radnika kako bi se postigli određeni ciljevi ili zahtjevi. ↩︎

Translation

Text comprehension

Question 1: What is one of the demands of the teacher unions in Croatia?

Question 2: What has been agreed upon regarding salaries?

Vocabulary

Croatian	English
ministar  (m.)	minister
obrazovanje  (n.)	education
suočavati	confront
napetost  (f.)	tension
sindikat  (m.)	union
štrajk  (m.)	strike

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Recently, Croatian Education Minister Radovan Fuchs has been at the centre of significant tension with the country’s teaching unions. On the day of a major protest organised by three teaching unions in Zagreb’s Trg bana Jelačića, Fuchs addressed the press, highlighting the complexities surrounding the unions’ demands, particularly regarding wage increases and reform delays.

Minister Fuchs explained that fulfilling the unions’ material demands is currently not feasible due to legal constraints. He noted that the proposal to adjust salary coefficients, critical to providing a teaching supplement, is under consideration by the Council for the Monitoring and Improvement of Pay Systems in state and public services. In the meantime, there is an agreement to increase the base salary by three percent, with further negotiations projected for the coming year. Despite issues around a previously agreed salary increase of three plus three percent, Fuchs pointed out union leaders’ complexities, including disputes over staff evaluations and educational reforms.

Fuchs expressed frustration over the unions’ refusal to engage meaningfully in discussions, blaming ultimatums and perceived threats for the current impasse. The unions earlier demanded that staff evaluations, as defined by new regulations, not be introduced, and though the government consented, they subsequently declined to sign the salary increment agreement. Similarly, there were talks on postponing vocational education reform, which Fuchs claims were misconstrued as willingness to compromise the reform’s integrity.

At the protest rally, unions announced potential lawsuits and a possible strike, which they suggest could occur in June, aligning with students’ final exams. Responding to these threats, Fuchs stated his willingness to step down if it would resolve the ongoing disputes, although he remained sceptical this gesture would result in the withdrawal of all union demands. He stressed the government’s commitment to maintaining students’ rights to uninterrupted education, hinting at extending the school year if necessary to mitigate strike disruptions.

Addressing the timing of the protest during working hours, Fuchs critiqued the event as effectively constituting a strike, undermining the educational process. He challenged the rationale behind staging such protests during the workday, suggesting Saturday events could gather stronger attendance without impacting school operations. Despite the right to strike being undisputed, the minister underlined concerns over paying union members for lost teaching days and questioned the unions’ financial accountability for strike-related expenses.

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