Dignified payment for the work of scientific and scientific-pedagogical workers in the context of changes in the educational paradigm

Abstract

Problem setting. Remuneration of scientific and scientific-pedagogical workers has been and remains one of the complex problems of legal regulation. Today, the salaries of these workers in Ukraine do not cover the most necessary expenses, and inflationary processes lead to the impoverishment of educators and their families.The existing system of remuneration of scientists and teachers of higher education does not comply with the principles of justice and proportionality. And the tariff system provided for by law, which is based on assessments of the complexity of the work performed and the qualifications of employees and should ensure appropriate differentiation of wages, is actually not functioning.

Remuneration of budget employees continues to be based on the official salary of an employee of the 1st tariff category of the Unified State Budget, which remains at the level of December 2024. It is these circumstances that make the study of issues of legal regulation of relations in the educational and scientific spheres regarding decent work and determining ways to resolve them relevant.

Analysis of recent researches and publications In legal literature, the study of the problems of legal regulation of remuneration of scientific and scientific-pedagogical workers has always attracted the attention of scientists. Among them, it is worth mentioning the scientific works of V. S. Venedyktov, G. S. Goncharova, D. B. Derevyanko, G. A. Kaplina, V. A. Kononenko, M. L. Smolyarova, N. M. Khutoryan, T. M. Yuzko, G. O. Yakovleva, O. M. Yaroshenko, and others, which have not lost their relevance even now. Of great scientific significance are modern scientific achievements in studying the problems of decent remuneration for the specified category of workers by such scientists as L. P. Amelicheva, N. M. Vapnyarchuk, B. V. Vapnyarchuk, Yu. F. Ivanov, O. G. Sereda, A. M. Yushko, and others. Taking into account the existing scientific achievements of the mentioned scientists, we consider it necessary in our study to focus attention on those problematic aspects and legal mechanisms for their resolution that have not yet come into the field of view of scientists or to which due attention has not been paid.

The purpose of this article  is  to develop research and identification of problematic issues related to shortcomings or imperfections in the legal regulation of remuneration of scientific and scientific-pedagogical employees, and to determine further ways to resolve them.

Article’s main body. The article examines problematic issues regarding the remuneration of scientific and scientific-pedagogical workers. Attention is focused on the fact that the level of remuneration of scientific and scientific-pedagogical workers in Ukraine does not provide a decent standard of living for the specified category of workers.    It was emphasized that the existing system of remuneration of scientists and teachers of higher education does not comply with the principles of justice and proportionality. It was noted that the entry into force of the provisions of special legislation on the size of official salaries for pedagogical, scientific-pedagogical and scientific employees has been repeatedly postponed by the legislator

International experience on the issues of salaries and organization of scientific work of scientific and scientific-pedagogical workers is considered.

It was concluded that the existing problems of low wages for scientific and scientific-pedagogical workers can be eliminated by using positive international experience, adapting it to our realities, and developing such norms and regulations that exclude the element of any deterioration, compared to previous indicators, not only in the amount of wages, but also in the working conditions of a scientific and scientific-pedagogical worker, with their subsequent introduction in the form of amendments to national educational legislation, as well as application at the level of local labor regulation.

Conclusions and prospects for the development. As part of the study, it is proposed to: 1) restore the effect of the Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine “On Remuneration of Pedagogical, Scientific-Pedagogical and Scientific Employees of Educational and Scientific Institutions and Institutions” No. 822 of July 10, 2019, which is aimed at implementing Part 2 of Article 61 of the Law of Ukraine “On Education” of September 5, 2017 No. 2145, which approved the scheme of official salaries (salary rates) of pedagogical and scientific-pedagogical employees, the size of official salaries, as well as additional payments and allowances that should ensure the promised decent salaries for employees in the educational sphere; 2) in local regulations related to labor remuneration, establish various additional payments and allowances for scientific and pedagogical employees for: successful performance of scientific work, publications in the scientometric databases Scopus, Web of Science, innovation and use of modern methods and information technologies in the educational process, knowledge of a foreign language, curatorship, etc.; 3) as part of the reform of the higher education system, accompanied by the implementation of European standards, to accordingly review the remuneration of scientific and scientific-pedagogical employees.