The teachers protest outside the Education Ministry
Photo: Yuval Chen
Teachers protest over 'systematic' pay deductions
Some 16,000 teachers had hundreds—and at times thousands—of shekels docked from their pay for September over cuts in travel expenses; now they're demanding to put an end to what they say are ongoing, annual issues with their salaries.
Some 16,000 Israeli teachers were shocked to learn earlier this month that hundreds—and for some, thousands—of shekels were deducted from their salary.
An inquiry into the matter found that the Education Ministry docked hundreds of shekels for travel expenses from the salaries of some 14,000 teachers after the Finance Ministry changed the calculation for these payments. This was done without informing the teachers of the move in advance, while the entire sum was deducted in one go, rather than gradually.
Some 2,000 additional teachers had thousands of shekels docked from their pay. Among them were some 1,500 teachers on whom the Education Ministry claims school principals failed to report, while the rest had money deducted due to errors.
Teachers protesting outside the Education Ministry to receive their salary in full and on time (Photo: Yuval Chen)
As a result, the teachers have launched a campaign in protest of what they say is an annual ritual of errors and pay deductions—particularly in October, around the time of the High Holy Days. The teachers say that during the year itself they also encounter difficulties in dealing with the Education Ministry's Economic and Finance Administration and are not paid in full.
Maya Moshkowitz, a civics teacher at a high school in the Jerusalem area, is at the forefront of the teachers' protest. She was shocked to learn that NIS 4,000 was deducted from her salary.
"When I saw my pay slip, I could not believe my eyes, especially since this is the holiday season and there are a lot of expenses," Moshkowitz said.
"As a civics teacher, I educate my students to be citizens who participate, make a difference, and act when there is injustice. That is why I decided to protest along with my fellow teachers over the deduction of our pay," Moshkowitz explained.
"We decided we will no longer remain silent and that we would take matters into our own hands, because this oversight hurts us every year. We have the right to receive our pay in full and on time," she added.
The pay slip of a teacher who, after having thousands of shekels docked from her salary, got paid less than NIS 100 in September.
Shiri Amir, a special education teacher at a high school in the Jerusalem area, had NIS 800 docked from her salary because of the changes made to the calculation of travel expenses.
"Without telling us in advance and with no consideration, they deducted such a large sum all at once," Amir said. "The problem is not just with travel expenses, because this issue comes up for years... in the past I had to wait for two months to get the pay owed me. We're teachers who love their job and want to get what we deserve... there's a new generation of teachers who are saying, Eenough! We're not willing to remain quiet anymore.'"
Eyal Namar, who teaches tourism and communications, also had thousands of shekels docked from his pay, but that wasn't the end of it.
"Beyond the timing—the High Holy Days and the deadline on my mortgage payment—I read my pay slip closely and noticed that despite the fact I was working 103 percent of a position, I was only paid for 78 percent," he said in anger, adding he also didn't receive the bonuses he deserves for teaching high schoolers for their matriculation exams and for having two degrees.
"I was disappointed and felt like I was being dismissed even though I made sure that all of my information was up-to-date and even though I gave my heart and soul to the school. I care about the children and their education," he added.
Namar noted he faced a similar situation last year. "When this happens repeatedly, it becomes an ongoing salary failure. This isn't a mistake, it's a policy," he determined.
The teachers plan to demonstrate outside the Education Ministry on Wednesday.
The Education Ministry said in response to the teachers' claims, "The decision to cut back on travel expenses was done by the Finance Ministry as part of a reform in public transportation and concerns all state employees. Upon learning of the cuts, the Education Ministry immediately worked to give the teachers advance payments (refunds), even before Rosh Hashanah. It's important to emphasize this issue only concerns teachers who are state employees.
“As for the other salary issues: The ministry gave advance payment to every teacher entitled to it. A teacher entitled to advance payment who has yet to receive it is asked to contact the ministry as soon as possible."
