The Latvian Teachers' Union (PORN) called the authorities' proposal regarding the pace of salary changes for teachers "categorically unacceptable."
At the beginning of the year, according to the schedule approved two years ago by the government, teachers' salaries increased by 2.6%. This is 5.9 percentage points less than originally planned. Meanwhile, a year and a half before the start of 2026, there is still no clarity regarding teachers' salaries for the next year.
On Friday afternoon, the Ministry of Education and Science sent a statement to the bb.lv portal, stating that it proposes to link teachers' salaries to the established minimum monthly wage in the country.
The Ministry indicates that salary increases in 2026 are not planned for the public sector as a whole, considering budget priorities in the field of security and planned savings. Therefore, the ministry does not intend to raise the minimum salaries for teachers next year.
The prepared order regarding the schedule for salary changes is promised by the ministry to be submitted for public discussion "in the near future," so that it can be approved by the government by the end of the year.
For its part, the Teachers' Union of Latvia (PORN) assesses the proposal as "categorically unacceptable." The head of the union, Inga Vanaga, noted in a conversation with the LETA agency that there will be no increase in the minimum rate for almost two years.
"How can they expect in such a situation that teachers will come into the profession and stay in it if the next increase in the minimum rate is promised only in a year and a half?" Vanaga asked.
In the 2025/2026 academic year, 32% of teachers in general education institutions receive the minimum hourly rate, while the average monthly salary reaches 1941 euros, which is 24% higher than the minimum rate, according to the ministry's data.
