Punishment of universities: The decline in salary is just the first step in what colleges waits from autumn – society

All began by changing the financing decree, which was changed overnight, without consulting with the competent bodies, thus the number of hours of teaching in a 40-hour working week significantly increased narration of science. It melted the « never more increase in earnings in higher education », as the government presented, and professors, assistants and other faculties in the faculty drastically met the earnings.

– My salary was about 106,000 dinars since January, but I only received that amount once. Then it was reduced twice in half and now 25,000 dinars. I think that there are different situations at every faculty, more than us (projects, cooperation with the economy …) and the situation is still a more dramatic factory in Belgrade, which amounts to paradox that days of rest and sick leave are worth more than working days.

Her colleagues in which her colleagues also described as humiliating.

– The question arises as the state can pay the salary below the minimum. By the way, neither my regular wage is large and below the average salary in Serbia, which is 108,000 dinars for March. Although people think we’re not going to work because classes are blocked, that’s not true. We are engaged in the science full time, which is more than five hours provided for in the Regulation – says our interlocutor.
Like many her colleagues live in uncertainty because it is not known what will happen in the coming period and whether a new punishment of the state will follow.

How do university teachers live?

Due to the reduction of salaries, university workers are forced to adapt.

– I decided to take the money only to the most memorable and that way, I say so as salaries do not come to old, and the question is when it will happen. I rely on my family’s financial support, like most of my colleagues, as well as savings, but again no longer sustainable. Also, I considered the options of part-time jobs through various platforms, such as holding England online. I am at a more favorable position than many colleagues because I have no children, neither loan, making young colleagues, associates in teaching, assistants and docents most often have as an additional factor and pressure. Our current salary cannot cover even half a loan installment, and cannot live from air – it states our interlocutor.

He also says that a number of her colleagues thinks to change the job because the current financial situation in which they are unsustainable.

Stresses that teachers are with students and support them, because they are not guilty of students than power for repression.

Her colleague from the Belgrade Chemistry of the Faculty of Sladjana Savić, whose monthly salary was about 105,000 dinars, received half of that amount in April. Despite the reduction, he believes that it is still privileged.

– I’m sure there are a lot of citizens that harder than me, not only the last two months have been much longer. When I first saw that the amount of part of the salary is much smaller than usual, I was in disbelief. When I try to explain Regulation 35/5 Friends and families who are not employed in higher education, and they have a similar reaction. As I can end my doctoral research at the end, I can’t let myself just five hours a week. In fact, most of the week dedicated to science – Savic points out.

In order not to spend the whole savings focuses on covering the necessary costs, such as foods, rentals and accounts. He says she was happy when she recently bought tickets for the theater play, because now that is the cost of which he must think well. Clothing and dress and otherwise doesn’t buy without a plan, and now it delays.

Dalibor Petrovic, Professor of Sociology at the University of Belgrade, says the faculties employed the last normal salary received in February. Already in March receipts, they were halved, and so in April.

– A minimum has been paid at some faculties for the last month, because the faculty has touched a part of the funds to minimal wages. The funds that arrived from the state were at the level of 17.18 thousand dinars, and half of the salaries of a full professor, which he pays the Ministry of Education is about 80 thousand dinars. Since the state did not pay the minimum, in order to have contributions that are equivalent to the Minimum, the faculties had to respond from their own funds. However, the next month, many will not be able to do that means that what they get as a net profit will have to go for retirement and socially in order to cover the minimum. In other words, it is very realistic that this month we do not receive a Maya pay at all, and the perspective may occur – says Petrović.

He points out that at most institutions, our own source revenues dried, and the additional problem is that the state has stopped making money for material costs. Therefore, everything that happens is not just a question of professor wages, but also the functioning of higher education institutions.

Who is the help needed?

The possibility of applying to help funds solidarity employed at universities amount to different views. Some are snapped because it is humiliating, many are aware that teachers in schools are more needed.

The impression is that the public is less sensitive to employees at universities, convinced that professors have great money, and they are in addition to the part, and such a belief has certainly contributed to such a conviction and Receivance claims from thousands of euros What was the president of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić.

« I have information that this type of help will just start, because so far it was directed towards school teachers, and it took time to develop a system for processing data at faculties. When it comes to donations, these are modest funds, 10 thousand to 20 thousand dinars. You have people who planned their life according to revenues that were higher than teacher income in schools, took loans towards that or entered some other investments, rented apartments. Someone who received 140 or 150 thousand dinars and salaries for the apartment 70, 80 thousand were now brought to a serious existential problem. Not to mention marital couples that both work at the University – Petrović expires.

He confirms that some started dealing with other jobs to replace salaries – from babysitting, holding private classes …

– Everyone should imagine that the last normal wage was in February, and now Juna begins and we do not have any indications of the normalization of the situation on that issue – states our interlocutor.

Students say they understand their teachers, but that the fight for a better society and the legal state must not give up. Where is the output?

– It’s a very difficult question because students’ positions and teachers are different. Students are a transit group that is in one phase of life in college, while we organized our life around the university and of course positions are different. Students are ready even to sacrifice for one year, but if they were to sacrifice and the next probably the largest number of them would not be ready. On the other hand, they should understand that sacrifice of salaries is our durability closer to the border that will not pass without serious consequences per university. It means that people will start going from the university, primarily younger staff, which we have had a problem at the college before the faculty. Imagine the graduate of the ETF or FON, which is a perspective to work at the school for school teachers and to work in the next seven, eight and more, and in the economy would have twice as much earnings at the start. Now the staff will start leaving, « Petrovic states.

Sprint in a marathon

The fight to fulfill student requirements describes by metaphor:

– If this marathon, we can’t be in Sprint, everybody who goes on the marathon very quickly, and we are in sprint and is completely amazing to hold it so long. But since we now have clear hints that this is not the race that will end in June or in July we must adapt the tempo with the circumstances of the marathon – Petrović indicates.

Now, he says, a moment for some kind of agreement with the students:

– Whether we are all ready to permanently sacrifice your status, as students, and we as university professors and keep each other together and that the state canceled us by taking the status of students. Or agree on some forms of teaching that would give them the opportunity to not lose the year, and that all as citizens participate every day in the fight for a better society – Petrović points out.

It notes that teaching and civil activism are not mutually exclusive.

« But whatever I decide today I think we will face the university at the level of the University that will be at the level of the Regulation that shocked us at the level of the workgroup for amendments to the law whose composition shocked us. The same thing will happen to us with a new law that will be radical in every sense of the word and then we will be in a situation that we are in the course of course, to strike or something third – says Petrović.

It points out that the school year will fail, if it does not start in the next 10.15 days.

– The state will be silent by September, at the next three months, many teachers will take alternative positions at private universities, which opens space for incompetent people, who will destroy our higher education for all.