Strike threat averted Teachers, Govt agree to negotiate new deal

GOVERNMENT and the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) have agreed to scrap the controversial agreement that would have cost the State around N$500 million to improve the salaries and benefits of some teachers.

A few hours after a national demonstration by teachers and the subsequent media briefing by the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Nantu backed off on their demand to have the first grading system implemented. Labour Commissioner Bro-Matthew Shinguadja told The Namibian yesterday that the two parties agreed to scrap the first deal and the Ministry of Education was given about two weeks to come up with a new proposal that must be accepted by Nantu before Cabinet approves it.The new development effectively halted threats of a national strike as Government promised to improve the salaries of 12 200 teachers that fall in the bargaining unit.The remaining approximately 6 300 are either at management level, under-qualified or vocational teachers not covered by the talks.Education Permanent Secretary Vitalis Ankama said although the new development could not be called “an agreement” as yet, both parties agreed to scrap the first deal because it was not economical.As an example, he said, under the old agreement, which Nantu was pushing to be implemented, a new teacher with a Basic Education Teaching Diploma (BETD) and no experience would have earned N$110 000 a year since January 2004 while their counterparts who joined until a month earlier were earning N$56 000 in a year.In other cases, the salaries would have even tripled, according to Ankama.”In principle, we have agreed to find another way around the grading system.The Ministry of Education will work out the details and take it to Cabinet once we have agreed,” he said.Shinguadja said the ball was in the two parties’ court.”The two partners must seriously put their minds to a new proposal but there will be negatives and positives,” the Labour Commissioner said.The negatives will be to find the money and how long Nantu is willing to wait, he said.A source in the Government negotiating team said although a deal would be finalised in the next two weeks, money would only reach teachers after next year’s National Budget is approved by Parliament.Nantu is likely to demand that the increase be backdated to January last year, when the first agreement was reached, but the Government team has already indicated that the new agreement will only cover the period from when it would be signed and sealed.Ankama said Government were serious with their proposal and the move was not designed to stop a strike.Nantu Secretary General Miriam Hamutenya said the new developments were a step in the right direction and that the negotiations of the past month have ended until the Ministry of Education tabled a new proposal.On Tuesday, both Ankama and Nandi-Ndaitwah denied Cabinet and Treasury’s approval for the first agreement and termed it “erroneous” and “illegal”.Ankama said yesterday that apart from representing a major shift from the current pay policy of the Government, the first agreement would have only affected 6 000 teachers and caused major unhappiness among the other 6 200.He said those who agreed to the first deal were “crazy”.The Namibian has documents, however, indicating that the Office of the President, Office of the Prime Minister, Cabinet Secretariat, Ministry of Basic Education and the Public Service Commission were aware of the first agreement.In February this year, a joint statement was issued by Nantu and the Ministry of Education, in which Government blamed a heavy administrative workload for the delay and called for patience from teachers when it failed to implement the first agreement.The Ministry promised to implement the measure once the funds were made available in the budget.However, last month Cabinet backtracked on the promise and cancelled this agreement with the teachers’ union.Labour Commissioner Bro-Matthew Shinguadja told The Namibian yesterday that the two parties agreed to scrap the first deal and the Ministry of Education was given about two weeks to come up with a new proposal that must be accepted by Nantu before Cabinet approves it.The new development effectively halted threats of a national strike as Government promised to improve the salaries of 12 200 teachers that fall in the bargaining unit.The remaining approximately 6 300 are either at management level, under-qualified or vocational teachers not covered by the talks.Education Permanent Secretary Vitalis Ankama said although the new development could not be called “an agreement” as yet, both parties agreed to scrap the first deal because it was not economical.As an example, he said, under the old agreement, which Nantu was pushing to be implemented, a new teacher with a Basic Education Teaching Diploma (BETD) and no experience would have earned N$110 000 a year since January 2004 while their counterparts who joined until a month earlier were earning N$56 000 in a year.In other cases, the salaries would have even tripled, according to Ankama.”In principle, we have agreed to find another way around the grading system.The Ministry of Education will work out the details and take it to Cabinet once we have agreed,” he said.Shinguadja said the ball was in the two parties’ court.”The two partners must seriously put their minds to a new proposal but there will be negatives and positives,” the Labour Commissioner said. The negatives will be to find the money and how long Nantu is willing to wait, he said.A source in the Government negotiating team said although a deal would be finalised in the next two weeks, money would only reach teachers after next year’s National Budget is approved by Parliament.Nantu is likely to demand that the increase be backdated to January last year, when the first agreement was reached, but the Government team has already indicated that the new agreement will only cover the period from when it would be signed and sealed.Ankama said Government were serious with their proposal and the move was not designed to stop a strike.Nantu Secretary General Miriam Hamutenya said the new developments were a step in the right direction and that the negotiations of the past month have ended until the Ministry of Education tabled a new proposal.On Tuesday, both Ankama and Nandi-Ndaitwah denied Cabinet and Treasury’s approval for the first agreement and termed it “erroneous” and “illegal”.Ankama said yesterday that apart from representing a major shift from the current pay policy of the Government, the first agreement would have only affected 6 000 teachers and caused major unhappiness among the other 6 200.He said those who agreed to the first deal were “crazy”.The Namibian has documents, however, indicating that the Office of the President, Office of the Prime Minister, Cabinet Secretariat, Ministry of Basic Education and the Public Service Commission were aware of the first agreement.In February this year, a joint statement was issued by Nantu and the Ministry of Education, in which Government blamed a heavy administrative workload for the delay and called for patience from teachers when it failed to implement the first agreement.The Ministry promised to implement the measure once the funds were made available in the budget.However, last month Cabinet backtracked on the promise and cancelled this agreement with the teachers’ union.