Under the timetable proposed by the Educations and Science Ministry, the minimum wage for teachers should be raised from €680 to €710 a month already from September 1, 2018, with the necessary financing to be provided from the existing budget this year.
The Finance Ministry said it should be pointed out that the wage growth timetable is indicative, and Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis (Greens/Farmers) agreed, saying that "otherwise we will be deceiving people".
Under the timetable, the minimum monthly wage for standard workload for teachers is to be increased gradually over the next few years, "indicatively" reaching €900 by September 1, 2022.
Although the government approved the timetable, it added a reservation, stating that the pay rise should be effected depending on the economic situation in Latvia and implementation of the measures planned by the government.
The shrinking number of pupils and the optimization of the school network are expected to reduce education-related expenditure, and the resulting surplus could then be used to finance the pay rise for teachers.
