Education Ministry developed bill to change teacher pay system, but no union agreement yet – Lisovy
The Ministry of Education and Science has already developed a bill to change the remuneration system for educators, but there is no agreement from professional unions yet, reported Minister Oksen Lisovy.
One bill has already been developed by us and is currently being discussed, primarily with the unions. And yes, you are absolutely right—the unions will not only disagree with increasing the workload but also with changing the structure. Currently, we do not have their consent. However, it should be noted that the educators’ union is the largest in the country and the best organized, and we certainly need to consider the opinion of the professional community, Lisovy said at a press conference following three years of the Ministry team’s work, answering a question from Interfax-Ukraine regarding whether proposals to change the teacher pay system would be submitted by the end of March.
He emphasized that given the exhaustion of society and the fact that educators work for relatively low pay, the Ministry cannot ignore their opinions or impose harsh conditions.
The bill is developed, but it will be submitted for consideration by the government, central executive bodies, and subsequently to parliament only after the professional communities accept this position or, at the very least, take a neutral stance, Lisovy noted.
In this regard, the minister mentioned a "Plan B" toward which the professional unions are leaning. They understand that changing the salary structure requires more time for us to process and consider a range of diverse proposals that will constructively affect teacher salaries. Therefore, a scenario of adopting a law that will come into effect later—potentially from 2027—also exists, he stated.
As previously reported, the 2026 state budget does not provide for an increase in weekly workload or the transfer of teachers from permanent to fixed-term contracts. The document stipulates a 30% salary increase for pedagogical workers starting January 1, 2026, and another 20% from September 1, 2026. Simultaneously, the government was tasked with developing a new remuneration system featuring a significant basic salary to be implemented by September 2026.
On December 23, 2025, the Ministry detailed four developed pay models for discussion: increased workload; no increase in workload; proportional increases across all categories; and disproportionate increases favoring young teachers to encourage entry into the profession.
In mid-February, Lisovy stated that if the educational communities do not agree on one of the four scenarios for reforming the salary structure, a simple 20% increase will occur in September instead.
