New model for teacher wage rise in the making

The Ministry of Education and Science (MES) has submitted a new schedule for teacher salary increases for approval, which provides for the lowest salary rate to rise from January 2027, Latvian Radio reported.

The teachers' trade union (LIZDA) is satisfied with this offer, as it has managed to achieve an earlier increase – previously, the plan was to raise salaries from September 2027.

Currently, teachers must earn at least €9.79 per hour or at least €1,566 per month before tax for a 40-hour working week. According to this plan, in January 2027, the lowest teacher salary would rise to €1,656 per month. Salaries would continue to rise each year until 2030, when teachers would earn at least €1,958 per month for a full-time position. After that, a new schedule will have to be drawn up.

Trade union chair Inga Vanaga acknowledged that the solution reached is optimal and that the trade union is satisfied with the outcome.

"We decided in favour of a salary schedule starting in January 2027 with a 5.75% salary increase, which is approximately a €100 increase in the lowest salary rate each year," said Vanaga.

However, Vanaga said that the union had also made compromises.

"We, as LIZDA, demanded that the set goal be achieved within two years – to move towards the average salary of teachers in the country being the minimum wage multiplied by a coefficient of 2.5. And in the long term, to ensure that the average salary of teachers is 120% of the national average [salary]. Over two years, the fiscal impact of such a proposal would have been over €100 million. We realised that this was not possible," said Vanaga.

Therefore, taking into account the state budget's capabilities, the trade union agreed that the salary increase would not be as large as initially hoped.