Israeli ministries said Wednesday they have reached an agreement with the teachers' union that is set to prevent a nationwide strike in schools on September 1.
The teachers' union has for weeks been threatening to strike at the start of the school year, effectively delaying it, if their terms for improved working conditions are not accepted by the Finance Ministry and the Education Ministry.
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Yaffa Ben David, Avigdor Liberman
(Photo: Alex Kolomoisky, Yariv Katz, Holon Municipality )
For the past weeks, union representatives have been in talks with the education and finance ministers, Yifat Shasha Biton and Avigdor Liberman.
"The school year will open tomorrow with a stronger and higher-quality education system," Liberman said.
"After many months of negotiations, we were able to bring about profound changes that have never been seen in the education system in Israel."
Israel Teachers Union head Yaffa Ben David said: "after a long fight, we were able to bring good news to the teaching staff, preserve their employment conditions and improve their wages for the benefit of the education system. This is just the first step we are taking in the root treatment that the education system in Israel needs."
The dispute between the Israeli educators and the government over low salaries led to a series of strikes at the end of the previous school year.
The agreement includes salary increases for experienced teachers as well as those in starting positions. The Finance Ministry, for their part, is demanding educational staff give up six vacation days out of the year.
i24NEWS contributed to this report