Teachers tough it out, protest goes ahead

TEACHERS, accompanied by pupils and parents, will take to the streets countrywide today to give vent to their anger at Government’s failure to increase salaries and benefits for long-serving teachers.

An eleventh-hour marathon meeting between the top leadership of the Namibia National Teachers’ Union (Nantu) and a Government team in Windhoek yesterday failed to avert today’s nationwide demonstration. Nantu officials and Government spent most of yesterday locked in a meeting as the two sides tried to thrash out a deal, but the situation remained unchanged by the end of the day.”The Government is in a Catch-22 situation.There is no money to even meet Nantu halfway,” said one top official.The Ministry of Education had said it does not have the funds to improve the salaries of the teachers.”The Nantu leadership understands the situation that the Government is facing but they are under a lot of pressure from the teachers,” said one Government official.Regional Nantu organisers The Namibian spoke to said teachers were determined to strike if Government failed to come up with the money and today’s mass demonstrations would be used to send a clear message that the Nantu leadership had support.So far, Nantu has followed all legal procedures as the union pushes Government to honour its undertaking to increase salaries and benefits for long-serving teachers.Teachers argue that the undertaking to upgrade their salaries was a Government initiative, which was approved by the Office of the Prime Minister some 19 months ago.However, Cabinet informed Nantu three weeks ago that the promise to implement a universal salary structure for all teachers was “incorrect”.It said that the appointment of 191 teachers at higher salaries since February last year was “erroneous”.The 191 were ordered to pay back the difference because they were “overpaid”.Apart from freezing the new structure and denying the existing teachers a salary increase, Government appointed a team headed by Deputy Secretary to Cabinet Steven Katjiuanjo to investigate who in the Ministry of Education and the Office of the Prime Minister had approved the new salary structure and to recommend their punishment.The findings of the investigation have yet to be announced.Teachers have dismissed the notion that the Government’s coffers are bare.They point to the millions in public funds that are being misappropriated through dubious investment schemes.Teachers are of the opinion that Government has had more than 20 months to come up with increases but have failed to do so.A Nantu leader said yesterday that teachers would be joined by parents and pupils during today’s protest, which starts at 14h00 in all 13 regions.Nantu officials and Government spent most of yesterday locked in a meeting as the two sides tried to thrash out a deal, but the situation remained unchanged by the end of the day.”The Government is in a Catch-22 situation.There is no money to even meet Nantu halfway,” said one top official.The Ministry of Education had said it does not have the funds to improve the salaries of the teachers.”The Nantu leadership understands the situation that the Government is facing but they are under a lot of pressure from the teachers,” said one Government official.Regional Nantu organisers The Namibian spoke to said teachers were determined to strike if Government failed to come up with the money and today’s mass demonstrations would be used to send a clear message that the Nantu leadership had support.So far, Nantu has followed all legal procedures as the union pushes Government to honour its undertaking to increase salaries and benefits for long-serving teachers.Teachers argue that the undertaking to upgrade their salaries was a Government initiative, which was approved by the Office of the Prime Minister some 19 months ago.However, Cabinet informed Nantu three weeks ago that the promise to implement a universal salary structure for all teachers was “incorrect”. It said that the appointment of 191 teachers at higher salaries since February last year was “erroneous”.The 191 were ordered to pay back the difference because they were “overpaid”.Apart from freezing the new structure and denying the existing teachers a salary increase, Government appointed a team headed by Deputy Secretary to Cabinet Steven Katjiuanjo to investigate who in the Ministry of Education and the Office of the Prime Minister had approved the new salary structure and to recommend their punishment.The findings of the investigation have yet to be announced.Teachers have dismissed the notion that the Government’s coffers are bare.They point to the millions in public funds that are being misappropriated through dubious investment schemes.Teachers are of the opinion that Government has had more than 20 months to come up with increases but have failed to do so.A Nantu leader said yesterday that teachers would be joined by parents and pupils during today’s protest, which starts at 14h00 in all 13 regions.