Balearic teacher pay row: €100 a month at stake

In the Balearic Islands, a teacher could lose €100 gross a month under a disputed pay calculation, according to the STEI teaching union. On 26 October, the union accuses the Balearic Islands Ministry of Education and Universities of cutting pay for five hours a week when some teachers caring for children work four hours less. The ministry acknowledges mistakes in some payslips but says the problem is not widespread.

Four hours off, five hours deducted

STEI says affected primary-school teachers have permission to reduce their non-teaching hours by one a day. In practice, it says, they work four hours less each week. Their payslips nevertheless show a reduction based on five hours.

The union says the difference cuts another 3% from monthly pay, whether a teacher’s child is over or under three. For a teacher with a child over three, that means receiving 85% of their salary instead of 88%. Its example of a teacher with two six-year service increments puts the loss at €100 gross a month and €1,210 a year, plus a 3% reduction in extra payments.

Ministry checks how many payslips are wrong

The ministry says the mistakes concern specific cases, not teachers generally. It describes the permission as a one-hour daily reduction in teaching time. At some schools, it says, timetables allow only four hours of actual reduction a week rather than five, but some pay calculations still use five.

Officials are checking records in the GestIB management system and with the departments involved. They aim to establish how many cases are affected and whether the ministry can correct them on its own initiative.

Topics: Jobs & labour

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com