… as education ministry opposes strike, leading to legal battle in labour court yesterday Teachers who gathered in Maseru to picket Directorate for Dispute Prevention and Resolution (DDPR), and had waited for it to approve its rules of strike by issuing a certificate that allows them to engage in a lawful strike, ran out of patience and went on rampage, blocking traffic and damaging roads pavements on Tuesday.
news
Feb. 7, 2019
STAFF REPORTERS
3 min read
Teachers go on rampage
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education and Training, in its effort to bar teachers from engaging on a planned nationwide strike, acquired an interim order pending a case which proceeded in the labour court yesterday. According to Tiisetso Rasheleng, Chairperson of Lesotho Teachers Trade Union (LTTU) in Maseru, teachers were so determined to get certification and go on strike that they will now impatiently await labour court ruling which will make determination on the matter. Teachers from around the country downed tools on Monday and gathered in Maseru demanding to be issued with a certificate allowing them to engage on a nationwide lawful strike. Teachers who are members of Lesotho Teachers Trade Union (LTTU), Lesotho Association of Teachers (LAT) and Lesotho Schools Principals Association (LESPA) were singing and chanting freedom songs.
Addressing teachers at the court premises, teachers’ strike organiser Letsatsi Ntsibolane said the case in labour court meant that teachers would have yet another day outside the classes waiting for certification from DDPR which would now be decided in the court of law. “Until we get certification permitting us to legally engage on strike, we are not stopping,” he announced. While teachers were already planning strikes to persuade the government to address their protracted grievances that include salary increment, promotions and working conditions, the current protest was reported to have been triggered by dismissal from work of Ntsibolane by the Teaching Service Commission on January 31.
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According to the dismissal letter, Ntsibulane was dismissed from teaching service because he failed to respond to allegations picked by inspection conducted at his school which discovered that: he announced illegal strike for teachers to partake, he has been absent from the school on the days of strike and that he illegally engaged Palesa Maapesa, Nthati Mabooe and Teboho Pheane on different occasions to stand in and perform his duties in his absence. The letter further reads that Ntsibulane’s dismissal was made in line with section 19(4) of Education Act “after his response which was not satisfactory according to Teaching Service Commission.”
Ntsibulane confirmed receipt of the letter and told Metro he was consulting with his lawyers for a possible legal action against the TSC. According to Tsepo Lethobane, public relations officer for LESPA and shop steward for LAT, the dismissal letter was worrying but “we are professional teachers. An injury to one is an injury to all. We are stronger than before.” He questioned the inspection purported to have been taken by TSC instead of Teaching Inspectorate. “Only Teaching Inspectorate is supposed to inspect schools not TSC.” Asked for a comment, Molikuoa Mota Sekhonyana, public relations for education ministry, referred Metro to Education Act 2010(1) which reads: “where, in the course of an inspection, an inspector discovers a breach of discipline committed by a teacher, the inspector may recommend, in writing to the principal or head of department as the case may be, that disciplinary action be taken against teacher and such principal or head of department shall take appropriate action accordingly.”
According to Sekhonyana, Teaching Service is employer of teachers and it has the right to terminate any teacher’s contract if she or he acted contrary to the teaching code of ethics. Mapitso Molai, on behalf of alliance of teachers unions, teachers’ grievances have been compounded instead of being resolved and the expulsion of Ntsibulane and obstruction of teachers’ right to go on strike added salt to the wounds of unsolved issues. “As things stand now, we are awaiting the courts to give direction. Unfortunately the longer it takes the more teachers lose patience,” she said.
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