The Croatian Government has decided to reduce salaries and salary supplements for employees in primary and secondary schools, as well as in science and higher education, during a strike. The Government says that the strike announced for tomorrow is not justified. The Government's statement recalls that in the last eight years, salaries have been continuously increasing in the public sector, including education.

During that period, the incomes of education employees increased between 80 and 100 percent, with a 48 percent increase in the base, an increase in coefficients and tax breaks. The Government emphasizes that education is one of the key priorities, which is confirmed by the large investment cycle in the educational infrastructure worth 2,7 billion euros.

Also, funds for education and science have increased from 1,8 billion euros in 2016 to 4,6 billion euros today. According to the new legal framework, the redefinition of salary coefficients is carried out through the Council for Monitoring and Improving the Salary System in the State and Public Service. The Government believes that the unilateral increase in coefficients or the introduction of allowances without a legal basis violates the fairness of the system. The increase in salaries must be achieved through dialogue, not through a strike, which benefits no one, least of all children and students," the Government's statement concluded. Unlike Croatia, the salaries of faculty professors who have been localized for four months have not been reduced, but those of teachers and professors in primary and secondary schools. The teachers started the strike in December and initially received full salaries, but their February salary was reduced according to the number of working days, it announced. Serbia Today.