The teachers' union announced tonight (Monday) that the negotiations with the Ministry of Finance ended successfully, and the strike measures against the education system have ended.
According to the union's announcement, an agreement was signed stating that no salary would be deducted from teachers for the strike that lasted eight days at the beginning of the year. In addition, teachers will receive a one-time grant of 9,600 shekels for a full-time position, with the grant being paid proportionally to the scope of the position. The grant will be paid in the October salary.
It was also agreed that starting from the September salary, teachers' salaries will increase by 1,200 shekels per month for a full-time position, and the increase will be paid proportionally to the scope of the position.
Many teachers will receive a percentage increase for performing their duties, such as: subject coordinators, grade coordinators, educational counselors, special education, homeroom teachers, payment for oral matriculation in English, chemistry teachers, and more.
The Ministry of Finance's plan to shorten dismissal procedures was canceled, as well as the plan to employ teachers with personal agreements. The agreement decided that non-teaching fellows would be employed in schools for a four-year pilot period. The pilot will end if the union decides it was unsuccessful.
Additionally, the salaries of principals and deputies in high schools will be improved, and a minimum salary will be set for starting principals, to make the profession more attractive.
The chairman of the union , Ran Erez, said: "I would like to thank our high school teachers who participated in the struggle to advance the education system for its students and teachers, maintaining public state education, organized labor, and social solidarity in the teachers' room. Even teachers who, for one reason or another, did not cooperate with the union's instructions will also benefit from the efforts and investment of their colleagues."
Minister of Education Yoav Kisch stated: "I am happy to announce that after a marathon night of negotiations, we finally brought a good and proper agreement for teachers and immediately lifted the burden of disruptions and strike threats from the heads of students and teachers. This positive, crucial, and necessary result, which arrived unfortunately with a significant delay, is a direct result of the great and heavy national responsibility of each of the parties to the negotiation that led to the point of compromise and flexibility."