MASERU – Teachers have threatened to hold a huge mass action on Sunday against the government for failing to keep its part of the bargain.
news
Aug. 3, 2019
STAFF REPORTER
2 min read
Teachers’ massive march on cards
Lesotho Association of Teachers (LAT) and the Lesotho Schools Principals Association (LSPA) counterparts went on national strike to press the government to grant them salary
Lesotho Teachers’ Trade Union (LTTU) secretary general ’Mapitso Molai confirmed this to Metro yesterday (Wednesday). “Today we drafted the last letter of the protest’s application to the police. Everything is still scheduled for the march,” Mrs Molai said. According to the Teachers Unions representative, Thaabe Kuleile, their intention was to petition the chairperson of the Cabinet Sub-Committee, Chief Thesele ’Maseribane, and they would march from Setsoto Stadium to the chairperson's office. The Sunday protest is set to be a curtain raiser for a major strike to commence on August 12.
In November last year, members of LTTU along with their Lesotho Association of Teachers (LAT) and the Lesotho Schools Principals Association (LSPA) counterparts went on national strike to press the government to grant them salary increments and review their working conditions. During the strike, in a month, teachers worked for a week and stayed home for three consecutive weeks until the government began to engage in talks with their unions’ representatives. At the moment, Mr Kuleile noted that out of 6 347 registered teachers, so far the government had only paid arrears of 63 teachers, 138 principals and five promotions within a period of four months.
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He highlighted that this followed consultations that were held with teachers in the 10 districts during which teachers presented their views on the way government was handling their grievances. Mr Kuleile said the agreement among others stated that Principals should be hired on permanent and pensionable basis. He said it was indicated that by end of June the Education Bill would have been passed.
He said tax credit gazette had no effective date, however, it was promised that by end of April it would have an effective date though to date the gazette with effective date had not been issued. He said only the career structure had been reviewed, adding however, their salaries structure had not been reviewed. “The government failed to abide by its submissions, exchange and verification of list of teachers whose payments are in arrears by both parties and the compilation of payment plan in terms of when the arrears were incurred by the Ministry of Education and Training,” he said. He further revealed that the government had still not addressed the 50/50 lump sum take-home for employees upon retirement. “It is due to failure of government to implement these issues, that teachers are reconsidering their decision to suspend the strike,” he said.
Metro/LeNA
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