Teachers plan mass demonstration

TEACHERS countrywide are poised to hold nationwide demonstrations tomorrow to protest against Government’s failure to implement salary increases and benefits.

In August, Cabinet, through Education Minister Nangolo Mbumba, told Nantu that an earlier promise to implement a universal salary structure for all teachers was “incorrect” and that the appointment of 191 teachers at higher salaries since February last year was “erroneous”. But the country’s teachers are having none of it.”We want to register our maximum anger and disappointment and thus put pressure on the Government to implement the Revised Salary Structure for Teachers without any further delay,” the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) said in a statement at the weekend.In the statement, headlined ‘Urgent Demonstration!’, Nantu urged teachers, irrespective of which union they belong to, to join the demonstrations.It said ongoing negotiations to try and find a way forward on the salary issue were believed to have reached “a critical stage”.Government has said it doesn’t have the money – it says it needs N$500 million to improve the salaries of teachers – while teachers have flatly rejected the ‘no-money’ argument.In the North, Victor Hamunyela, the Regional Administrator of Nantu, told a meeting at Oshakati on Saturday that demonstrations would be held in Oshakati, at Outapi and at Omuthiyagwiipundi in the Oshikoto Region.”Because the patience of Nantu and its teachers has been tested enough, the only option left is to peacefully reveal our feelings openly by holding demonstrations countrywide,” Hamunyela said.He said it had become clear during consultations Nantu had held with teachers in the past few days that the majority of teachers were in favour of demonstrations, and even a countrywide strike if necessary.Hamunyela said more than 1 800 teachers in Oshakati would march from the Continental Spar shopping centre to the offices of the Regional Governor to hand over a petition.In Omusati, more than 2 000 teachers plan to hand their petition to Governor Sacky Kayone at his office at Outapi, he said.Teachers from the Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions will meet at Omuthiyagwiipundi in the Oshikoto Region, where they will hand petitions to the two Governors.In Windhoek, teachers will march from the Nantu head office in Katutura to the Khomas Regional Office at 14h00 tomorrow.After Government went back on its salary undertaking, teachers in central Namibia voted on August 18 in favour of a national strike.But the country’s teachers are having none of it.”We want to register our maximum anger and disappointment and thus put pressure on the Government to implement the Revised Salary Structure for Teachers without any further delay,” the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) said in a statement at the weekend.In the statement, headlined ‘Urgent Demonstration!’, Nantu urged teachers, irrespective of which union they belong to, to join the demonstrations.It said ongoing negotiations to try and find a way forward on the salary issue were believed to have reached “a critical stage”.Government has said it doesn’t have the money – it says it needs N$500 million to improve the salaries of teachers – while teachers have flatly rejected the ‘no-money’ argument.In the North, Victor Hamunyela, the Regional Administrator of Nantu, told a meeting at Oshakati on Saturday that demonstrations would be held in Oshakati, at Outapi and at Omuthiyagwiipundi in the Oshikoto Region.”Because the patience of Nantu and its teachers has been tested enough, the only option left is to peacefully reveal our feelings openly by holding demonstrations countrywide,” Hamunyela said.He said it had become clear during consultations Nantu had held with teachers in the past few days that the majority of teachers were in favour of demonstrations, and even a countrywide strike if necessary.Hamunyela said more than 1 800 teachers in Oshakati would march from the Continental Spar shopping centre to the offices of the Regional Governor to hand over a petition.In Omusati, more than 2 000 teachers plan to hand their petition to Governor Sacky Kayone at his office at Outapi, he said.Teachers from the Ohangwena and Oshikoto regions will meet at Omuthiyagwiipundi in the Oshikoto Region, where they will hand petitions to the two Governors.In Windhoek, teachers will march from the Nantu head office in Katutura to the Khomas Regional Office at 14h00 tomorrow.After Government went back on its salary undertaking, teachers in central Namibia voted on August 18 in favour of a national strike.