Teachers protest in Estonian capital as nationwide strike begins

Teachers protesting on Toompea Hill in Tallinn on day one of Estonia's nationwide teachers' strike on Monday. January 22, 2024.

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Photo: Teachers protesting on Toompea Hill in Tallinn on day one of Estonia's nationwide teachers' strike on Monday. January 22, 2024.

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Monday marked the start of an open-ended strike of general education school teachers in Estonia, where educators convened on Toompea Hill in Tallinn to protest.

Participating in the nationwide strike are 330 schools and 9,471 teachers, the Estonian Education Personnel Union (EHL) said. Together with those participating in sympathy strikes, the total number of strikers exceeds more than 18,000.

The EHL initially wanted teachers' gross minimum monthly wage to be increased to €1,950, which would have meant €46 million in additional costs for the state budget.

The union thereafter offered a compromise of €1,835, which would incur €10 million in additional state budget costs.

The compromise proposal also included the requirement to immediately begin collective bargaining regarding the next three years with the aim of securing a deal that would ensure that teachers' average wages would reach 120 percent of the national average by 2027.