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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

University staff receive 31.3% salary increase

Belgrade, 20 March 2006

Serbian Minister of Finance Mladjan Dinkic, Serbian Minister of Education and Sport Slobodan Vuksanovic and representatives of education unions today signed a Protocol on salaries of post-secondary school and university staff for 2006. The Protocol envisages a 31.3% increase in the salaries of this group of educational employees.

Mladjan Dinkic addresses the media following the signing of the Protocol

Following the signing of the Protocol, Dinkic said that this increase was made possible by balancing the price of labour in primary and secondary schools and rationalisation of non-teaching staff at universities.

Dinkic suggested that salaries of primary and secondary school teachers be increased by 22.2% and of non-teaching staff by 16.3%. An additional increase in salary coefficient for primary and secondary school teachers is envisaged in September and November, when the coefficient will go up by 4% and 2% respectively, adding up to a total of 6.1%.

The minister said that a smaller increase has been envisaged in June, while a more considerable increase is due in September and November. University employees will see the increase only in the price of labour, and not in salary coefficients. University staff will get a considerable increase in salaries in June.

Dinkic pointed out that this is the maximum that the government is able to offer to the unions and added that next year there will be a further increase of salary coefficient in favour of teaching staff.

He also announced that as of this May, a new financing system for primary and secondary schools will be set up, enabling payments directly to employees' accounts. At least €50 million will be invested in equipping schools and faculties, he added.

"This year, we will purchase 30,000 computers for schools so as to achieve a standard of one computer per student in school computer rooms," he said.

Dinkic stressed that staff rooms will be equipped, blackboards and students' desks older than five years replaced and school gyms renovated. Additional investments into technical and science faculties are also planned, he added.

President of the Union of Serbian Education Workers Branislav Pavlovic and President of the "Nezavisnost" Union Zdravko Kovac said they are satisfied with the offer of the two ministries regarding the price of labour for 2006 and pointed out that the unions will verify the protocol in the next few days.