Representatives of universities: The financing of universities is unsustainable, we are considering bigger strikes

Commercial presentation Update: 27/03/2024 13:42
Issued by: 27/03/2024, 13:42

Prague – Universities, and not only humanities, are underfunded and the situation is becoming unsustainable. Some universities are considering more radical steps than last year, such as strikes in connection with regional education and longer-term protests. This was said today by representatives of the Hour of Truth initiative, which last year organized protest actions and, together with the university trade union, a strike at some universities. According to them, the strikes could interfere with the start of the winter semester, entrance or state exams. They demand from the Ministry of Education an increase in the amount for higher education for the year 2025 by at least ten billion crowns. ČTK is investigating the ministry’s statement.

Academics and other university staff last year pointed to the lack of money for universities and the low salaries of some university staff, especially in humanities-oriented faculties. After the Minister of Education Mikuláš Bek (STAN) in the fall demanded an increase in the higher education budget by three to four billion crowns compared to last year, Bek called the demand unrealistic. He promised schools an increase of one billion crowns, 800 million are to be given to reduce the differences in salaries at universities.

According to representatives of the initiative, this is a one-time solution, and an insufficient one at that. According to the chairman of the coordinating trade union council of Charles University, Petr Pavlík, only Charles University (UK) would need one billion crowns to equalize wages to the middle level of the tariffs, while about 150 million of the promised 800 million should go to UK. “If they have high salaries somewhere, then in this logic they should be reduced. And if we wanted to match it to the highest tariff, it would be three billion. In my opinion, this is a tool of the minister to divide us at universities.” said Pavlik. He added that the schools have not yet received the promised money.

The one-time contribution is insufficient to cover salaries at the university, the Academic Senate of the UK (AS UK) also stated in a resolution on Friday. According to the senate, the contribution will result in layoffs and associated further destabilization in the most underfunded fields.

The coordinator of the initiative, Nina Wanča from the Faculty of Philosophy of the Charles University, said that they are planning larger strikes in connection with regional education. “In the current state, we are not able to guarantee what the beginning of the next academic year will look like. There is talk of the possibility of tougher protests than last year. This means protests that would last for a longer period of time or that would deal a blow to some activities, such as state exams, admission procedure or the beginning of semesters,” said the representative of the initiative, Jakub Izdný. According to him, the lack of funding and the associated reduced competitiveness is already affecting fields other than the humanities.

Pavlík added that other faculties, which did not participate last year, are starting to join the initiative, for example medical or natural sciences. “Today, many people no longer want to teach at medical schools, because the way doctors’ salaries have increased, so to teach at a university, at a medical school for such a pittance, why would you bother?” said Pavlik.

In 2023, academic workers at public universities earned an average of 65,000 crowns per month, professors had an average of 102,069 crowns, 24,275 crowns more than associate professors. Assistant professors, who are usually people with a doctorate, earned an average of 56,101 crowns, according to data provided to ČTK by the Ministry of Education. However, according to data from the Ministry of Education, there are tens of thousands of crowns in the earnings of academics at various universities in the Czech Republic.

The average salary last year was 43,341 crowns. In a year-on-year comparison, it was 3,024 crowns more, i.e. 7.5 percent. Last year, consumer prices increased by 10.7 percent, which is why wages decreased by 2.9 percent in real terms, according to data from the Czech Statistical Office.

CR school wages AUDIO universities PHOTO