Universities and other tertiary education establishments are not state enterprises but derived public entities. Due to this special status, the changes to the law initiated by the President don't apply to them.
According to income declarations, last year the Rīga Stradiņš University rector Aigars Pētersons had the highest income – EUR 164,000 per year or around EUR 13,700 per month. He also takes the positions of lead researcher and senator at the university. RSU Council Chairman Reinis Bērziņš' salary was above EUR 3,000.
RSU Finance department director Klāvs Indriksons told Latvian Television that there is currently no talk about freezing salaries, while Reinis Bērziņš said he thinks this is an understandable and rational idea.
The University of Latvia's rector Gundars Bērziņš was elected this year. His monthly salary at the moment is EUR 13,350. This is the fixed wage set by the university's council.
Bērziņš said: "This is the council's decision on my wage and I am ready to begin with myself. I also don't ask for a wage increase in any way. I am ready for it to stay as it is. My wage is not the main thing currently."
The Council chairman Mārcis Auziņš gets EUR 2,700 in this position. The Cabinet rules stipulate that the wage is the average wage of academic personnel with a coefficient of 1.5. He said he would be ready to freeze salaries if the Ministry and the Cabinet decides so.
Rīga Technical University rector Tālis Juhna gets EUR 11,690 per month in the position, while the Council chairman gets EUR 3,800. RTU representatives also said that they would freeze the salaries if someone else tells them to.
And this is what the Ministry of Education and Science (IZM) is planning to do.
"In the Ministry's view, given our shared challenges with the 2025 budget, it would only be adequate that university leadership would demonstrate solidarity with the public. And the Ministry of Education and Science will call for a freeze on the state institution of higher education pay fund, which will also affect the institution of higher education, including rectors and councils," IZM Deputy Secretary of State Jānis Paiders said in a statement.
