New teachers to receive NIS 9,000 a month under agreement, principals to start at NIS 19,000; vacation schedule to be changed.
The Finance Ministry, Education Ministry and the Israel Teachers Union signed a long-discussed new labor agreement early Thursday. The deal was first announced in late August, preventing a strike at the start of the school year on September 1. Talks to solve the wage dispute had dragged on for several months, with union chief Yaffa Ben David repeatedly threatening a strike that would stop schools and kindergartens from opening if a deal was not reached.
Under the agreement, new teachers will receive a salary of NIS 9,000 ($2,700) per month starting September 2023, with bonuses of up to NIS 1,100. The salaries will first rise to NIS 8,207 ($2,300) in January.
The Finance Ministry, Education Ministry and the Israel Teachers Union signed a long-discussed new labor agreement early Thursday. The deal was first announced in late August, preventing a strike at the start of the school year on September 1.
Talks to solve the wage dispute had dragged on for several months, with union chief Yaffa Ben David repeatedly threatening a strike that would stop schools and kindergartens from opening if a deal was not reached.
Under the agreement, new teachers will receive a salary of NIS 9,000 ($2,700) per month starting September 2023, with bonuses of up to NIS 1,100. The salaries will first rise to NIS 8,207 ($2,300) in January.
After three years of teaching, employees will receive a grant of NIS 10,000 to encourage them to remain in the profession.
New principals will receive a starting wage of NIS 19,000 ($5,700).
School principals will be able to offer teachers bonuses of NIS 400 to NIS 1,000 for excellence and initiative. Furthermore, principals will be able to hire specialist teachers who work outside the education system, for example, experts in special needs education.
One of the major outstanding gaps between the sides was the issue of vacation days, which the Finance Ministry wished to match up with those of working parents who often struggle to find childcare while schools were on vacation.
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